Tigers respond in crunch time
By Jason Peake
Daily Mail Sports Editor
PITTSBURG -- Having a five-run lead slip away late can often make a team demoralized.
But not the Nevada Tigers. In fact, it was just the opposite.
After an early cushion suddenly disappeared, Nevada didn't get discouraged -- they responded right away with a seventh inning rally.
The result was an exciting 8-6 victory over St. Mary's Colgan at JayCee Ballpark on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburg.
The visiting Tigers led 5-0 in the third inning, only to see the host Panthers rally for six unanswered runs late in the game.
"It was gut-check time for us," Nevada Coach Marty Atnip said. "They got the lead and we told the kids we needed good, quality at-bats. And we did. We got some clutch hitting."
Yes they did.
Down 6-5 in the top of the seventh, Nevada had one last chance against Colgan pitcher Christian Cedeno.
With one out, sophomore Alex Payne drew a walk and went to second on a balk. Sophomore Grant Wolfe then singled to center, with Payne stopping at third. With runners on the corners, the Tigers pulled off a double steal, with Wolfe taking off for second first, with Payne then heading for home. Payne slid in safely to tie the game at six and Wolfe ended up on third.
"We want to be aggressive," Atnip said of the double steal. "And we're going to be aggressive this year. We wanted to put some pressure on the defense."
Next, Easton Mitchell flew out and Colgan was one out away from getting out of the inning with only a tie game.
But sophomore Lane Ketterman had different plans. The NHS outfielder lined an RBI single up the middle, bringing home Wolfe for a 7-6 Nevada lead.
The Tigers weren't done, though.
After Brett Norton was hit by a pitch, sophomore catcher Cole Sanderson lined a fastball into left field, just out of reach of a leaping Nate Grimaldi at short.
Ketterman scored on a close play at the plate for an 8-6 lead.
Atnip said Ketterman and Sanderson both came up big.
"That was a huge hit by Lane," Atnip said. "And then Cole had one, too. It was big to get that extra insurance run there."
Senior Bubba Banes was retired, but the damage had been done.
Colgan had one last chance in the bottom half against Nevada's Wolfe.
After an out, Wolfe hit Cedeno and then allowed a single to Austin Kratz. In fact, Kratz nearly tied the game as his long drive reached the wall in right field.
With the tying runs on base, Wolfe buckled down and forced designated hitter Grant Normand to hit a ground ball. Nevada shortstop Cory Kerbs fielded the grounder, stepped on second and threw to first for a game-ending double play.
"Grant sucked it up and forced a double play and that was huge," Atnip said.
The Tigers got on the board in the second inning. Banes reached on an error and then junior Sam Ellifrits singled to left. Kerbs reached on another error and the bases were loaded.
That brought up Payne. The first baseman came up big with a bases-clearing double to left for a 3-0 lead. Another run scored after a walk to Wolfe and two fielder's choices, one off the bat of Mitchell and one from Ketterman, which made it 4-0.
The Tigers added a run in the third against Colgan's Sam Gilbert. Three-straight walks, to Sanderson, Banes and Ellifrits, loaded the bases. After two outs, Wolfe drew a walk, scoring pinch runner Austin Huggins for a 5-0 cushion.
Nevada righty Kerbs kept Colgan in check throughout the early innings.
The Panthers finally broke through in the fourth. Colgan scored two runs on two hits, two walks and an error.
The score held up until the sixth, when Colgan scored four runs on a walk and four hits against Kerbs. Wolfe then took over on the mound with a 5-4 lead. But Gilbert hit a two-run triple to give the Panthers a 6-5 lead before Nevada retired the side.
But of course, that's when the Tigers answered right back in the seventh.
Kerbs and Wolfe held Colgan to just eight hits in the game. Kerbs went five and two-thirds on the hill and gave up just six hits. He struck out two and walked six. Wolfe finished the game and allowed two hits and also hit one.
"We pitched well today," Atnip said. "I thought Cory threw well. And Grant came in and got the job done. It was a good team victory."
Payne had three RBIs, while Ketterman had two and Wolfe and Sanderson had one apiece.
Nevada improves to 2-0 on the season after wins over Kansas schools Fort Scott and Colgan. Both schools are always solid on the diamond.
Nevada will be tested today with a 4:30 p.m. game at home vs. Carthage.
Nevada 8, Colgan 6
NEV 041 000 3 -- 8 6 1
COL 000 204 0 -- 6 8 3
WP: Wolfe. LP: Cedeno.