Bighorns: Back on the Hill again

The last time Cavin Hill threw a meaningful baseball game the United States didn't know what is was like to have a black president, Alex Rodriguez was still considered a clean baseball player and his Western Nevada College teammates had yet to even begun their charge to the JUCO World Series.

The former Reno High star was forced to sit behind and watch his teammates play on the biggest stage in junior college baseball last week after redshirting his freshman season, but now he is intent on becoming the next in the line of Wildcats to reach the JUCO World Series.

Hill threw 2.1 innings for the Nevada Bighorns in an 8-4 loss to the Folsom Pioneers on Saturday at John L. Harvey Field in his first meaningful game since his senior year in 2008.

That season Reno fell just short of winning a 4A state title. While summer college baseball may not be the biggest determination of a player's abilities, it was just the stage Hill had been looking for.

"It's been awhile," Hill said. "This is the first time I've thrown to batters (from a team other than my own) since the fall. It was nice, but I would have actually have liked to do a little better.

"I felt good and then in the second inning my arm, I think I started opening up too much and then things kind of went down hill from there. Hopefully I can get a lot of innings and get ready for next year."

Hill pitched a flawless first inning before showing signs of rust in the second and third innings. He gave up six runs on five hits, walked three batters and threw three wild pitches. Although he took the loss, Bighorns coach Dennis Young was pleased from what he saw from Hill and the rest of the team, which played together for the first time this season Saturday.

"He did OK," Young said of Hill. "I'm not upset at that. He threw some good pitches.

"...I think for the first time out with everybody playing together, I'm really happy with what we did today. I know we would have liked to have swept, but we played pretty well, we swung the bat OK."

Hill wasn't without a few of his teammates, the only batters he had faced since playing fall ball for WNC. Eric Maupin, Marshall Kennebrew, Jeff Barto, Jeremy Gendlek and Jay Skilton all saw time on the field in the doublheader, the Bighorns won the first game 3-1. There are seven players on the roster that played for WNC this season.

The Wildcats were eliminated from the JUCO World Series on Thursday after losing to Howard College, the eventual champion. It was their second appearance in the series in their four-year history. They previously reached in 2007.

"I was real surprised with the WNC kids, but they all wanted to play," Young said. "It was kind of nice to see that."

The Bighorns will head to the road at 1 p.m. today to face the Pioneers again, this time for just one game.

Bighorns 3, Pioneers 1

Jesse Rasner pitched three strong innings in the Bighorns' win, allowing just one hit on an infield single and striking out four. Gendlek pitched the remaining four innings. He gave up the lone run in the seventh inning.

Shane Kockenmiester drove in two runs in the fourth inning on a single and Travis Ice drove in another in the fifth. Both players had two hits each.