WNC Baseball: Second-Ranked CSN Holds Off Wildcats
Submitted by editor on Thu, 02/19/2015 - 11:04am
Western Nevada College didn't take any cuts against 2013 Major League Baseball top-10 draft pick Phil Bickford on Wednesday night in Henderson, but the Wildcats did face some quality pitching.
Anthony Martine and three relievers combined to limit the Wildcats to six hits and second-ranked College of Southern Nevada held on for a 5-4 nonconference baseball victory.
"We schedule good teams on purpose so our mistakes get exposed," said WNC coach D.J. Whittemore. "We have to work on a lot of things to improve."
Martine gave up four hits and struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings to earn his second win in as many decisions. The Coyotes (8-5) needed to bring in closer Josh Nuernberg for the final two innings after Jake Bennett's three-run homer pulled WNC within 5-4 in the seventh. Nuernberg (2-1) retired all six Wildcats he faced, including three by strikeout, to pick up his third save.
"We got to see their closer, which is good," Whittemore said.
WNC closer Connor Zwetsch was equally as imposing after he entered the game in the seventh with the Wildcats trailing by a run. Although he hit a batter and gave up a single, he struck out five Coyotes in his two innings of work.
"Zwetsch was a bright spot. He has some nasty stuff," Whittemore said. "If we can get him a lead, he's gonna be dangerous."
WNC of Carson City, trying to halt a four-game losing streak, received some solid starting pitching as well. Freshman Ty Fox held CSN scoreless for the first three innings before the Coyotes pulled away with a pair of two-run scoring flurries during the middle innings.
Fox made his first college start after three relief appearances and capitalized on the opportunity. The right-hander (0-1) allowed five hits and four earned runs in his five-inning stint. He struck out four and walked one.
With the score tied at 1, Fox ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing the first two hitters to reach base.
After a successful sacrifice bunt by Jesse Kelser, Reece Lucero laced a two-run single to right-center field, putting the Coyotes on top for the first time, 3-1. Fox, however, retired the next two Coyotes to keep the Wildcats close.
Mason Hayes delivered a RBI double in the sixth, increasing the Coyotes lead to 4-1 and prompting a call to the Wildcat bullpen. Jon Guzman relieved Fox, and the Coyotes remained aggressive as Hayes swiped third base and came home on an error by catcher Brandon Lapointe.
The Coyotes threatened to blow open the game, loading the bases against Guzman, but the freshman left-hander used a fly out to keep the Wildcats' deficit at four runs.
A two-out walk in the sixth to Tim Lichty ended Martine's evening. Corey Pool greeted Alec Hutt, making his third relief appearance of the season, with a base hit, sending Lichty to second. But Hutt retired Bradley Lewis on a groundout to halt the rally.
WNC scored first when David Modler doubled in Austin Andrews, who started the rally with a walk and advanced to third base on a failed pickoff attempt.
WNC threatened again in the fourth inning against Martine, packaging a pair of singles around a failed sacrifice bunt attempt. But Martine put out the rally with a pair of strikeouts.
CSN pulled even in its half of the fourth, scoring on a groundout by Hayes. Matt Walden reached on a fielder's choice and moved up two bases on botched pickoff play.
WNC (6-6) will continue play against Scenic West Athletic Conference teams when it meets College of Southern Idaho at 4 p.m. Thursday in Henderson.
"We play hard and we're competing; we just aren't very good," Whittemore said. "We are either going to lose a lot of games or figure out how to eliminate our mistakes."
