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Wildness prevails as Tigers drop opener
By Joe Warren
Nevada Daily Mail
When the Nevada Tigers hosted the Fort Scott Tigers at Lyons Stadium Monday, you could tell it was the first game of the baseball season for both schools.
First-game jitters and wild pitching were both prevalent, particularly early in the 5-2 Fort Scott victory.
The two teams combined for four errors and 16 walks, while also leaving a total of 20 runners on base as the interstate rivals looked every bit like teams playing a season opener.
Fort Scott scored the first run in the top of the first inning, taking advantage of a hit batter, a single and a walk to load the bases with one out.
A wild pitch by Nevada starter Brett Clark allowed Fort Scott left fielder Adam Goltra to score from third, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Clark battled back, striking out Fort Scott's Jordan Woods on three pitches and getting Dakotah Gettler to ground out to third base, ending the inning.
Nevada tied it in the bottom half, using four walks by Fort Scott starter Drew Lawson to push across a run. The Tigers had an opportunity to take the lead with the bases loaded and two out, but Lawson was able to strike out Clark to end the inning.
In the top of the second inning Clark hit Fort Scott's Jacob May, then Cole Pruitt singled. On the play May got caught in a run down between home and third, but he was able to score when a throw from Nevada catcher Keith Overton ricocheted of his back and rolled toward the Nevada dugout.
Another hit batter and a walk loaded the bases and with nobody out Clark was lifted and Dakota Bright was brought in to pitch.
Bright walked in a run to give Fort Scott a 3-1 lead, but buckled down to get three straight outs. Bright struck out Lawson and Troy Stumfell, then got Woods to ground into a fielder's choice at second, ending the threat and keeping Nevada in the game.
In the home half of the inning Nevada scored again, as Jordan Kerbs walked, went to second on an errant pickoff attempt by Lawson and scored on a single by Heath Baker. Baker was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double, and neither team threatened again until the fourth inning.
In the top of the fourth Fort Scott scored their final two runs of the game on a single, double and a balk.
Nick Johnson singled to lead off the inning, then Bright struck out Stuart Troutman. Goltra doubled, putting runners at second and third with one out, and Lawson drove in Johnson with a grounder to second. Lawson was safe on the play because of an error by Nevada second baseman David Hawks. Goltra went to third on the error, and scored on a balk by Bright to make it 5-2.
Bright settled in again, getting Stumfell to pop out to first and striking out Woods to end the inning.
Trailing by three, Nevada was unable to score again the rest of the game, wasting a leadoff double by Kerbs in the bottom of the fourth and two walks in the seventh.
"We got runners on," Nevada coach Jared Brown said. "But we just left too many on. One hit and we're right back in it."
In all, Nevada left 10 runners on base, wasting nine walks by Lawson (1-0) as he pitched six innings for the win. The Tigers only had three hits off Lawson.
Clark (0-1) was handed the loss, pitching one inning and giving up three earned runs, giving up two hits, walking two and hitting three batters.
"Brett didn't quite have all of his stuff today," Brown said. "But we know he's one we're going to have to rely on this year."
Brown said the very thing that makes Clark effective was his undoing Monday.
"He's got so much movement on his pitches, it's tough on him (to control)," Brown said.
Brown was very pleased with the pitching performances of Bright, Kevin Post and Jerrod Alexander.
Bright had six strikeouts in three innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits and a walk. Post went two innings, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out one. Alexander struck out the side working around a hit and a walk in the top of the seventh, his only inning of work.
"I'm proud of all our pitchers," Brown said.
The top hitters for Nevada were Kerbs and Bright. Bright walked in all four of his plate appearances, and Kerbs was 1 for 2 with a double and a walk.
The Fort Scott junior varsity also beat Nevada Monday, 5-0.
Nevada will be in action again Wednesday when they host Colgan (Kan.) at 4:30 p.m.