Apr 25, 2018 3 min read

Name: Bobby Boyer

School: Ringgold

Class: Junior

Sport: Baseball

Boyer’s week: The junior catcher didn’t make life for opposing pitchers any easier last week.

In the three games Ringgold played over a four-day stretch, and hitting from the No. 8 spot in the Rams’ batting order, Boyer went 8-for-8, had nine RBI and scored five times. The Rams won all three games, by a combined score of 42-13, to move into first place in the Section 3-AAAA standings. They have won four consecutive games through Wednesday.

“Being down in the eight spot makes me more comfortable,” Boyer said. “I have been getting a lot of fastballs and am eating them up right now. I strive to put the bat on the ball and help the team any way that I can.”

Boyer had three hits and knocked in four runs in a 15-5 victory over West Mifflin, then hit a grand slam the following day as Ringgold routed Elizabeth Forward, 19-2. It was his first home run in his high school career.

Catching a break: The beginning of Boyer’s first season in the starting lineup didn’t go as planned. In his first four games, he went 1 for 12 (.083) and struck out eight times.

Four games later, he has the third-highest batting average (.455) on the team.

“He started the year in a funk,” said Ringgold coach Don Roberts. “He was questioning himself at the plate. He was going up there and thinking too much. So, I had a conversation with him right after the Uniontown win and sat him the next game against Belle Vernon. Our conversation was just about being relaxed and confident.”

The conversation flipped Boyer’s season from disastrous to dangerous – for Ringgold’s opponents.

“I was coming off a really hot fall season and kept the pressure on myself,” Boyer said. “I was trying to do too much. I was fighting myself.”

Boyer only played in two games as a sophomore, primarily serving as the team’s bullpen catcher.

“I feel like last year helped me a lot,” he said. “Being the bullpen catcher helped me to see and grow comfortable with the older guys. I wasn’t entering this season behind the plate with a blank slate. I trust (our pitchers), and they trust me.”

Hot streak: In Ringgold’s four-game winning streak, the Rams are hitting .411. They have 14 extra-base hits and five home runs in those games.

“It’s about trying to prove everybody wrong,” Boyer said about the Rams’ goals.

“This is a family and everybody melds together well. We all have the same goals – to win the section, the WPIAL and state (championships). But right now, we are focusing on one game at a time and worrying about who we have next.”

Compiled by staff writer Luke Campbell