And they’re off.
Austin Beard did it on the bump and the batter’s box as the Reed baseball team rolled in Thursday’s season opener, 13-3 (five innings) over McQueen at home.
With a steady, brutal wind to straight center, Beard allowed three runs (one earned) on just three hits while striking out five in a complete-game (five innings) win in the Mike Bearman Memorial Tournament.
“He threw awesome,” Reed coach John Phenix said. “It’s tough in the wind. I thought he threw very well, very well.”
With the stick, Beard led the hit parade, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a pair of doubles. His second and final double of the night, a blooper down the right-field line in the bottom of the fifth, plated Brandon Kernan and Jon Pinto and served as a walk-off as it pushed the Raiders’ lead to 10.
Beard was one of five Raiders to open the season with a multi-hit performance as the home squad finished with 15 hits – most of which came in the third inning.
The Raiders broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the third with eight runs on eight hits.
“It was one of those days,” Phenix said. “We hit the ball extremely well for an opener.”
Following RBI singles from Beard and Levi Sanchez (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, double) and a Jake VanTress sac fly, Kyle LeBlanc broke the game open with a three-run blast that he wrapped around the left field pole.
“That really got us going,” Phenix said.
Lincoln Turner (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, double) and Beard concluded the rally with a pair of RBI doubles.
The Raiders continue the Mike Bearman Memorial Tournament on Friday with a pair of home games against Truckee (at noon) and Elko (at 3 p.m.).
Cougars cruise in opener
Spanish Springs used a monstrous 17-run sixth inning to throttle Central Catholic (Modesto, Calif.) in Thursday’s season opener at Wooster in the Mike Bearman Memorial Tournament.
The Cougars outhit the Raiders 15-1 and rode a solid start from senior southpaw Ryan Anderson.
The Lefty struck out nine and did not allow a hit in five innings of work to pick up the win. Casey Miller pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth to end the mercy-rule shortened victory.
Josh Prizina led the way at the dish, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and 4 RBIs. Carson McCusker was 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, two of which came on a two-run blast to left center that capped the game deciding sixth inning.
Noah Parks, Joey Arterburn, Alan Lummel and Marlin Brucato also had multi-hit afternoons.
The Cougars continue the Mike Bearman Memorial Tournament Friday with a pair of games at Wooster. They play South Tahoe at 10 a.m. and Wooster at 1 p.m.
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