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Freshman baseball splits Mount Vernon at home
By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
The Nevada Tigers freshman baseball team made its first appearance at Lyons Stadium Friday, splitting a pair of games against the Mountaineers of Mount Vernon High School.
In the opener, Payton Bright was nearly untouchable for the majority of the contest, as he allowed three unearned runs on three hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks in five innings of work on the mound. The Tigers took full advantage of that dominance, taking the victory by a final score of 4-3.
Bright's dominance was apparent, right from the start, as he allowed just one hit through the contest's first four innings. It wasn't until the fifth inning when Bright's pitch count neared 80 and fatigue set in that the Mountaineers were really able to do much of anything with the Tigers' starter.
The Tigers' offense had no trouble dealing with the Mount Vernon pitching staff as Myles McNeley opened the contest with a hard line drive single on just the second pitch he saw. McNeley late came around to score on a passed ball before Bright helped his own cause, knocking in Shrewsbury with a one-out single.
The other two runs of the day for the Tigers came in the third inning, when Jacob Johnson knocked in Shrewsbury with a soft dribbler that the Mountaineers' infield simply couldn't handle. Just two pitches later, Conner Masters brought home the final run of the day for the Tigers as he crossed the plate on another passed ball.
That was where Bright's troubles began. Despite allowing just two hits and striking out five over the final two innings of the contest, the Mountaineers touched him for three runs, nearly forcing the contest into extra innings.
The first of those three runs came in the fourth inning, when a wild pitch brought in the second run of the day for the Mountaineers. With just one out in the top of the fifth, the Mountaineers were able to take advantage of a hit and two Nevada errors to load the bases, putting the pressure on Bright and the rest of the Nevada defense.
Two of those three runners came around to score on the second hit of the game, but Bright came back when he needed to, striking out the last batter he faced to seal the victory.
Both squads finished the contest with three hits, while Nevada had four errors. The Tigers also benefitted by four walks and a hit batter by the Mount Vernon pitching staff.
No player had more than one hit for either side in the contest. Shrewsbury was the only player for either side to score multiple runs, as he finished the contest with two.
Mount Vernon salvaged the doubleheader split with a 5-2 victory in the night's second game.
Next on the schedule for the Tigers is Saturday, when they host the Wildcats of Neosho High School. First pitch in the day's first contest is set for 1 p.m., at Lyons Stadium.