Kingman’s baseball team is now over .500 for the first time in the program’s short history after a sweeping of Andover on Tuesday.

The Eagles improved their record to 3-1 and won both games of the double-header with scores of 2-1. After the games, the players were feeling nothing less than jubilance.

The wins didn’t come easy, though. Just as junior Stephen Gutierrez pointed out after last week’s win over Haven, “good teams find a way to win.”

The score was 2-1 in the final inning with runners on first and second when Austin Minor stepped on the mound as a relief pitcher to close the game.

“It feels great,” Austin said after the game. “I had a lot of adrenaline going. My twin brother Aaron obviously finished the game, but if he wasn’t going to, I was.”

After the close win, the Eagles knew another tough contest was ahead of them.

“They’re a good ball club. They’re not just going to fall down the second game,” said Aaron Minor. “We have to come out in the last game and just keep fighting. That’s what this team is – we’re just a bunch of fighters.”

Austin Minor pitched the complete second game and once again, Kingman held Andover to a single run that occurred in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game. The Eagles responded in the bottom of the inning, however, as junior Trey Johnson reached home for the go-ahead score.

When asked how it felt as he reached home plate to score the winning run, Johnson grinned from ear to ear as he thought for a moment. His response was simple.

“It felt amazing,” he said.

“I feel like our defense really stepped it up to get the big win. Stephen Gutierrez had a couple of nice plays in the outfield. He had a really nice catch in the outfield,” said senior Sam Tatro of the second game. “Our infield did a good job. Double plays really helped us. Our sticks kind of hurt us but it ended up not being too bad of a deal.”

Batting was a difficulty during both games as a malicious wind from the south was blowing directly in the faces of batters. Fans in attendance were constantly shielding themselves from the dirt being blown around.

Tuesday’s wins were huge for Kingman. The Eagles gained confidence and feel positive about their performance.

“I just felt good the whole game,” Austin Minor said while the team did its post-game ritual of priding the field. “I was hitting my spots. My curveballs threw for strikes. The defense played well behind me and for the most part, we just dominated.”

Kingman will play a double-header at Rose Hill on Monday, April 12. The Rose Hill Rockets are 4-2.