Clayton Wolfe goes about his business with smarts, stamina and experience. But perhaps the biggest weapon in his arsenal on the mound is trust.

Trust in his abilities. Trust in his training. And trust in his teammates.

On Monday evening at Earl Wenger Memorial Field, Wolfe turned in a very trusting – and trustworthy – outing, as his Richland side shaded Fredericksburg . 4-2. It was Richland’s first win in the early going of the Lebanon County American Legion Baseball League, after posting just two victories in each of the prior two summers.

In pitching six-and-two-thirds of an inning, Wolfe struck out only one. That meant that the other 19 outs the crafty 18-year-old righthander recorded were either ground outs or fly outs, which were entrusted to his defensive teammates.

Wolfe also did an admirable job of working out of trouble. Though he issued only one free pass, he scattered ten hits and stranded a bunch of Fredericksburg runners on base.

Richland foresees noticeable improvement for the 2014 campaign, perhaps even challenging for a playoff spot in the local summer baseball league. If Richland is to get where it wants to go, Wolfe will figure into the scenario.

– Jeff Falk