Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

The old cliché is practice makes perfect. For the St. Joseph Flyers, they’re OK with better batting practice makes better hitting.
The Flyers are taking a different approach in BP and the results have shown improvement as St. Joseph got nine hits in a 15-2 rout of the Tolsia Rebels.
“We’re hitting the ball much better. We’re doing things different in batting practice and it’s helped,” said Flyers’ coach Lou Mains.
Zack McGraw led the “better hitting” as he went 3-3 with a pair of triples and Gage Butler was 3-4 with a double and a triple.
Peyton Adkins went 2-3 and Isaac Whaley 1-3 as the Flyers parlayed their nine hits with six walked and two hit batsmen to get the five-inning win.
The Flyers scored five times in the first inning.
Butler tripled, Adkins, McGraw and Chase Walters all walked for a run, Whaley reached on an error, Trey Ward was hit by a pitch and Andrew Lawson grounded out to drive in a run.
The Flyers came back with two runs in the second.
Adkins singled and scored on an RBI triple by McGraw. Walters then hit a sacrifice fly to score McGraw.
Butler doubled and McGraw hit his second triple as the Flyers added a run in the fourth.
St. Joseph then put the game away with a seven-run explosion in the fifth inning.
Whaley singled, stole second and went to third when Ward reached on an error. Ward stole second and then Lawson, Izsak Unger and Clay Willis all walked to force in two runs.
Butler, Adkins and McGraw all followed with base hits, Walters was hit by a pitch and Whaley hit into a force play as a run scored.
The Flyers host Portsmouth Clay on Monday.