When he suffered a devastating knee injury in the season’s opening football game in August, Jonah Swanner’s athletic career was in danger of being over.
He missed the rest of the football season and all of the Black Bears’ run to the state finals in basketball. He never gave up hope of making it back to baseball. He showed Monday he’s back and still has the same power and much the same speed as before as helped lead HCHS to a 3-0 win over visiting Lee, Va.
Swanner showed off his speed in the opening inning when he barely missed a home run but raced all the way to third base with a triple before the scoring the Bears’ first run on Alex Creech’s grounder to short. He left no doubt on his third trip to the plate in the fifth inning when he easily cleared the fence in left for his first homer of the season.
“Tonight watching Swanner round those bases kinda got me a little teary eyed — I won’t lie. Watching first hand on everything he has been through from the injury to the surgery to the therapy, I am just so proud of the young man he is and becoming,” Harlan County coach Scotty Bailey said. “He’s done the right things to get himself back to where he is, I just can’t be more proud of him. He wants to go play college ball, and I think he’s got every tool to do it at a high level, to me he hasn’t lost much of anything being back. Now, once he gets back fully comfortable I think he’ll get everything he wants. People usually don’t make it back from an injury like that and be the same, but he worked his butt off and was back in five months fully released. If it was up to him he wouldn’t be on any restrictions. He’s getting back in the swing of things as far as fielding and bases running.”
Swanner’s work provided more than enough offense for HC pitchers Tristan Cooper and Zayden Casalari. Cooper gave up only one hit over five innings with 11 strikeouts and two walks. Casolari, a freshman, retired all six hitters he faced with one strikeout and no walks.
“Cooper came out and threw great for us. It’s been over a week since he has thrown and the first time we’ve taken the field in four days, so it was just getting out there and getting loose for him at first, but he’s settled in, and I think he’s the best pitcher in the region,” Bailey said. “His off speed is working good and that helps him a lot. Biggest thing was he threw five innings had only two walks and only threw 70 pitches before coming out. Staying away from walks keeps him low in the pitch count, and that’s what we want. The work he’s put in is showing, I’m proud of him tonight! Zayden always comes in and gives us some good innings. Tonight he came in top of the line up and threw three pitches and got three outs. He located very well. I love the confidence he brings when he takes that mound. I think he threw two innings on 11 pitches, and that’s impressive.”
In addition to Swanner’s two hits, the Bears got singles from Isaac Kelly, Cooper, Gunner Burkhart and Aiden Craig.
Clay Robbins pitched a complete game for Lee with two strikeouts and two walks.
Kelly picked up the second run for the Bears when he walked to lead off the third inning, then moved up on a wild pitch and passed ball before scoring on Cooper’s ground out to short.
Swanner led off the fifth with a blast on the first pitch to push the lead to 3-0.
Casolari needed only three pitches to record three outs in the sixth inning, then threw only nine more in the seventh as he retired all six batters he faced to record a save.
Harlan County (4-3) will return to action Tuesday at North Laurel.
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Lee, Va. 000 000 0 — 0 1. 1
Harlan County 101 010 x — 3. 6. 0
Robbins and Bates; Cooper, Casolari (6) and Kelly. WP — Cooper, 2-1. LP — Robbins. SV — Casolari 1.