Tigers run-rule No. 7 ranked Bolivar, 11-1

Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Nevada Tigers’ leadoff hitter Tyler Ketterman, grounds into a run-scoring fielders choice in the bottom of the fifth inning, Tuesday at Lyons Stadium. Ketterman torched Bolivar pitching, finishing 2-for-3 with a single, triple and four RBIs as Nevada knocked off No. 7 ranked Bolivar 11-1.
Photo by Matt Resnick/Daily Mail

The Nevada Tigers bounced back in spectacular fashion on Tuesday from their worst defeat of the season to pick up their most impressive victory of the season, an 11-1 six-inning run-rule against the No. 7 ranked Bolivar Liberators. On Friday the Tigers were thumped by Sedalia Smith-Cotton, 16-2.

The non-conference triumph improves Nevada to 6-3 overall, while Bolivar falls to 9-3.

“We came out ready to play baseball today,” Nevada head coach Danny Penn said during his postgame radio interview. “After Friday’s showing I’d be lying if I told you that I knew we would come out looking as good as we did.”

Bolivar southpaw Brayden Tunender encountered trouble in the bottom of the first. With one down Tunender walked three consecutive batters to load the bases.

Nevada grabbed a 1-0 lead when a wild pitch scored senior Myles McNeley from third on a close play at home. Tunender was then able to pitch out of the jam.

Facing right-handed pitcher Payton Bright, Bolivar stranded four runners over the first two innings. In the home-half of the second, Nevada sophomore Peyton Denney doubled to the left-center field gap and scored on a Tyler Ketterman single that was misplayed by Bolivar outfielders Chase Hampton and A.J. Lynn.

Bolivar let another golden opportunity get away in the third, as back-to-back one-out singles off Bright put the Liberators in business. The Tigers defense, however, had Bright’s back, turning an inning-ending double-play.

The play started with junior shortstop Branden Harder handling a tough, in-between hopper deep in the hole, then flipping to second baseman Jarrett Owen, who fired to Denney at first to complete the twin-killing.

“That was a great job of Branden reading the hop, Jarrett being there at second base, and a quick turn making the throw to first,” Penn said.

“That’s a huge momentum swing. Bolivar could have jumped on the board with a multi-run inning. Instead, we were able to cut it down right there and keep them off the scoreboard.”

With runners in scoring position and still just one out Colton Shrewsbury, in his first varsity at-bat of the season, plated Denney from third base, courtesy of an infield single, as Tunender failed to cover first base on the play.

“The bottom of the order was producing for us,” Penn noted.

With runners on the corners Ketterman blasted a 1-0 fastball deep into the left-center field gap. The two-RBI triple put the Tigers in front 6-0, while also knocking Tunedner out of the contest.

“I was just trying to hit the ball up the middle or to the opposite field,” said Ketterman, Nevada’s offensive MVP the past two seasons. “(Tunender) gave me an inside pitch and I was able to hit it into the gap.”

Ketterman, who had been pressing at the plate, was recently moved from the three-hole to lead-off.

“I love hitting lead-off,” said the senior slugger. “I was real calm and loose (on the two-RBI triple).”

Penn said he was impressed with how his squad was able to exploit Tunender’s control issues.

“We took advantage of (Tunender) not being able to find the strike zone,” he said. ‘We did a great job of being disciplined at the dish. We didn’t swing at a lot of pitchers pitches and were content to take ball four and let the next guy do his job.”

After finally pushing a run across home plate in the fifth, Nevada responded in the bottom half of the frame as Ketterman’s fielders choice ground out scored Armstrong to put the Tigers on top 7-1.

Coming on in relief of Bright, Harder recorded the final out of the fifth and then proceeded to cruise through the sixth, striking out two batters.

After two Bolivar pitchers combined for three consecutive walks to open the bottom of the sixth, Armstrong made the Liberators pay with his second double of the evening scoring Harder and Hinton as Nevada went up 9-1.

The game concluded with a pair of fielders choice ground outs, scoring Owen and Armstrong.

In his second start of the season, Bright (2-0) wasn’t overpowering but was extremely effective as he routinely worked ahead in counts.

Penn said Bright’s pitch count was being closely monitored, as the fifth-year head coach wanted Bright available to start Saturday’s contest with Neosho.

“It was his second quality start,” Penn said.

With the new Missouri State High School Activities Association pitch-count regulations in place, Bright’s pitch count could not exceed 105 pitches for the contest. Bright, however, topped out at 74.

“We were hoping to get him through the fifth inning under 75 pitches,” Penn said.

“That was the first time I’ve ever made a pitching change in the middle of an at-bat that was not necessitated by an injury. But we wanted to have him available on Saturday, and this is the pitch-count manipulation we have to work with.”

Penn continued: “We talk with our pitchers about trying to limit damage and minimize innings, and Payton did an excellent job of that today.”

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