WNC Baseball: Wildcats Bounce Back to Take Final Game of Series
Submitted by editor on Sat, 04/04/2015 - 4:01pm
Patience and persistence paid big dividends for the Western Nevada College Wildcats on Saturday in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Struggling to score runs in the first three games of their Scenic West Athletic Conference series with College of Southern Idaho, the Wildcats scored seven runs in the fifth through seventh innings to pull away to an 8-0 seven-inning victory.
The Wildcat offense made a winner of Ty Fox, who threw six scoreless innings, and reliever Josh Mill finished off the shutout by blanking the Golden Eagles in the final inning. Fox gave up three hits, struck out four and walked one to raise his record to 4-1.
The win ended a four-game losing streak and moved the Wildcats of Carson City back into second place in the SWAC standings at 11-9. Third-place CSI (10-10) slipped a game behind WNC. It was only CSI's second home loss of the season.
"Eight hours on a bus after a sweep, thankfully I've never had to experience that, and I don't want to, I know that," said WNC coach D.J. Whittemore.
CSI limited the Wildcats to 17 hits and four runs through the first three games of the series. And hits were again tough for the Wildcats to come by against CSI's stingy pitching staff in the series finale.
After DJ Peters' two-out RBI triple scored Jake Bennett in the first inning to put WNC on top, 1-0, the Wildcats connected for only one more hit until the fifth.
"Peters' triple gave us a little breathing room," Whittemore said. "It felt good to have a lead, I'll tell you that."
While WNC didn't have many hits to show for against CSI's Parker Loutensock (3-2), the Wildcats' careful pitch selection at the plate ran up his pitch count and led to his exit in the fifth. Besides the five walks surrendered by Loutensock, the Wildcats earned four additional free passes from the bullpen.
"The big difference today was they gave us some free runners," said Whittemore, noting that CSI allowed one walk through the first three games of the series. "I don't know if I've ever seen a stretch like that where the other team's pitchers commanded the strike zone that well."
Bennett provided the Wildcats' third hit of the game, a run-scoring single with two outs in the fifth, putting WNC ahead 2-0. Peters followed with a RBI single to center field to score David Modler with WNC's third run.
"We were having quality at-bats throughout the lineup and got some bunts down today," Whittemore said.
Blake Morin doubled in Brogan Secrist in the sixth as WNC built a 4-0 lead. The Wildcats did some more damage against the CSI bullpen. Austin Andrews' bunt single was thrown away by reliever Demetrious Small, enabling Morin to cross the plate from second base to make the score 5-0. Modler's fielder's choice knocked in Brandon Lapointe with WNC's sixth run of the afternoon.
Lapointe and Morin capped the Wildcats' scoring with RBI walks in the seventh. Peters and Bennett combined for four of WNC's seven hits, as well as three RBI and two runs scored.
WNC (24-16 overall) continues its second-half SWAC road swing at Salt Lake Community College on Thursday.
"We're still on the lead lap and we can see the first car," Whittemore said. "As long as we can stay on the lead lap, we have a chance down the stretch."
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