Bighorns split twinbill to end summer season

Appeal Staff Report

Thanks to the efforts of Jesse Rasner and Aaron Henry, the Nevada Bighorns college baseball team was finally able to break through for a win against the Redding Colt 45s to conclude the summer season.

After dropping the opener of the doubleheader, 6-5, the Bighorns won the nightcap, 5-4, Sunday at Western Nevada College's John L. Harvey Field. Earlier in the season, the two teams also played a 15-inning affair in the Tri-States Classic in Arcata, Calif., with Redding winning that game 4-2.

Rasner was dominant in the nightcap as he pitched a complete game two-hitter, allowing one earned run and striking out 10 over seven innings. Rasner struck out the first four batters he faced.

Henry went 3-for-3 in the nightcap and finished the doubleheader 6-for-7 with four stolen bases.

Rasner had retired 14 straight before walking a batter with one out in the seventh inning. Rasner appeared to have gotten a strikeout on a check swing on a 3-2 pitch to end the game, but it was ruled that the batter was able to hold up and Redding ended up with runners at first and third with two outs. The game ended when Royal Good reached out to make a difficult catch on a fly ball in right-center field.

The Bighorns faced Redding's No. 1 pitcher, Matt Lewis, in the nightcap and Henry greeted him in the first with a single. Henry went on to score on a wild pitch and another Bighorns run subsequently scored on a fielder's choice to give them a 2-0 lead.

Redding scored four runs in the second, three of them unearned, on the strength of a dropped fly ball to take a 4-2 lead. The Bighorns answered in the fourth after Ray Barratt doubled.

Lewis was then chased after he walked Good to load the bases with no outs. Henry followed with a two-run double and Good came home on Shane Kockenmeister's RBI fielder's choice to give the Bighorns a 5-4 lead.

Henry had another double in his 3-for-3 effort and Nick Nyman added a single for the Bighorns.

In the opener, the University of Nevada's Stephen Bautista gave the Bighorns a solid effort, striking out six over 5 1/3 innings. Bautista also began the game by striking out the first three batters he faced.

The Bighorns took a 1-0 lead in the first when Henry singled and eventually scored on Kockenmeister's RBI double. Henry tripled to the left-center field gap and scored on a passed ball to tie the game 2-2 in the third.

Barratt had an RBI single in the fourth as the Bighorns took a 4-2 lead. In the fifth, Jeff Young tripled and scored on Adam Anderson's line out to left to give the Bighorns a 5-3 lead.

After Redding closed to within 5-4 in the sixth, Justin Cutler came on with runners at first and second and one out and retired the first two batters he faced to end the inning.

But Redding struck for two unearned runs in the seventh. Redding tied the score 5-5 on a single to center. Henry had the runner trying to score from second nailed at the plate, but Nyman couldn't handle the throw. Redding eventually scored another run on a wild pitch to take a 6-5 lead.

Henry went 3-for-4, Kockenmeister had two hits and D.J. Simen and Tommy O'Brien each added a hit for the Bighorns.

NOTE: Second tryouts for the 18-and-under Nevada Bighorns team will begin Friday at 5:30 p.m. at WNC's John L. Harvey Field. For details, call coach Dennis Young at 721-3024.