Spanish Springs led Wooster 4-3 after four and a half innings on Friday afternoon at Wooster.
Then the flood gates opened. Literally.
As the strong wind gusts become steady and as rain began to fall, the Colts broke the game open with six runs on seven hits – all singles. They also got the help of three wild pitches.
The Cougs failed to chip into the dent their next at bat and were stuck with a 9-4 (six innings) loss. The game was called early due to time limitations set in the Mike Bearman Memorial Tournament.
“We had a couple of walks and a couple of wild pitches and shoot, they hit the ball really hard,” Spanish Springs coach Ben Hofmann said of the game-deciding fifth inning. “Give them a lot of credit. They really had some good opportunities and they cashed in on them.”
The Cougars fell to 2-1 with their first loss of the season while the Colts improved to 2-0.
After working out of trouble all day, Spanish Springs starting pitcher Alan Lummel left the game once Robert Gordon drove a single up the middle to tie the contest at four with one out in the bottom of the fifth.
The bullpen was unable to escape further damage.
Lummel absorbed the loss, getting charged with six runs on 12 hits while fanning four in 4.1 innings.
He kept the Cougs in the game by holding the Colts to 2-of-9 with runners in scoring position before Gordon’s game-tying knock.
“He got himself into a little bit of trouble and he was able to work out of some,” Hofmann said. “They didn’t hit the ball hard, but he’s got some room for improvement. He has some good stuff and I think he’ll be fine. It was really his first outing.”
Tyler Schricker picked up the win in relief for Wooster. He allowed one run (earned) on two hits in 2.2 innings. He also struck out four.
The second batter he faced, Marlin Brucato, sent an RBI single up the middle to knot the contest at three in the bottom of the fourth. Chase Lee followed Brucato with a sac fly to center that plated Connor Culp and capped a three-run frame and gave the Cougs their first lead of the day, 4-3.
Schriker then settled down, retiring seven of the next nine batters he faced to seal the non-league win.
Wooster jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings before Spanish Springs got on the board with back-to-back doubles from Brucato and Chase Lee to lead off the third.
The Cougars wrap up the play in the Mike Bearman Memorial Tournament on Saturday with two games in Carson. They play South Tahoe at 9:30 a.m. before squaring up with the Senators at noon.
Spanish Springs 10, South Tahoe 2
The Cougars started their day on Saturday with an easy 10-2 win over the Vikings at Wooster.
Joey Arterburn allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits over six innings to pick up the win. He struck out four and walked one.
Carson McCusker accounted for a third of the Cougs’ hits, going 3-for-4 with a triple and three runs scored. Colton Hussey had just one official at bat, but made it count. He ripped a two-run double in the third that extended the Cougars’ lead to 5-1. He drove in his third and final run the next inning with a sacrifice fly, giving Spanish Springs, the home team, an 8-1 edge.
The Vikings actually drew first blood, pushing one across in the top of the first. However, they didn’t score again until the top of the fifth. The unearned tally left them down 8-2.
Colton Forman came on in the top of the seventh and struck out the side.
Reed bats stay hot
One day after opening the season with a 13-3 win over McQueen, Reed continued to hit the ball all over the yard on Saturday.
The Raiders improved to 3-0 on the young season with an 18-2 home win over Truckee (five innings) and followed that up with a 10-5 win over Elko. The game with the Indians was called after six innings due to the time limit requirement in the Mike Bearman Memorial Tournament.
Reed wraps up the five-game tournament on Saturday with home games against Damonte Ranch (11 a.m.) and Fernley (2 p.m.).
Sparks opens season with pair of wins
The Railroaders began their campaign with a pair of wins over Battle Mountain, 7-3, and Carlin, 12-5, in Lovelock on Friday afternoon.
“It’s nice to get a couple wins to get started for sure,” Sparks coach Greg Vasko said. “And we got to play all of our guys today, which was good. That’s what this tournament is for, to get everybody some reps.”
Walks have been a problem for the Railroaders the last couple years. That was not the case at all on Friday. Sparks issued just one free pass.
“The thing that kind of stood out was just that we had one walk in both games,” Vasko said. “So the pitching was pretty solid … I was surprised, for sure.”
The Railroaders go back to Lovelock on Saturday for two more games: vs. Lowry (1 p.m.) and Lovelock (3 p.m.).
Sparks 12, Carlin 5
Sparks smacked 12 base hits and finished its day with a lopsided five-inning win over Carlin.
Five different Sparks players had two-hit games. Sophomore Braden Goodnough was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles. Freshman Tanner Crow was 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs and a pair of runs scored. And senior Michael Salnave was 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.
Elijah Shelton got the start and went the distance (five innings). He allowed five runs (three earned) on nine hits while striking out nine. He did not walk a single batter.
Sparks 7, Battle Mountain 3
The Railroaders mustered just four hits in their season opener but managed to score seven runs in the five-inning victory.
Junior Hunter Nobbs was 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs.
Senior Bruce Hicks was dominant on the hill. He struck out 10 while allowing three runs (two earned) on just two hits.
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