An alert play by Joshua Corson snapped a 6-all tie and gave the Redding Colt 45s a 7-6 victory over the Nevada Bighorns on Wednesday night at Western Nevada College.
The loss dropped Nevada to 8-8 overall and 2-3 in league play.
With the score tied at 6 in the top of the ninth, Corson singled to left, stole second and moved to third on an infield out. With Michael Benton at the plate, Bighorns catcher Cameron Mayville lofted a throw back to pitcher Joey Webb. Corson broke for the plate and scored easily.
Mayville had been having trouble throwing the ball back to the pitcher, and actually threw the ball so high a couple of times that the pitcher had to leap to flag it down.
"I think he lost confidence throwing the ball," Bighorns manager Dennis Young said. "It was a heads-up play by their guy.
"I thought we played a pretty good game. We stayed in it, and the kids battled. I thought (Eric) Maupin did a good job on the mound. I only expected him to go three innings and he ended up going six."
Maupin allowed five runs on five hits. He fanned seven, walked one and hit three batters en route to a no decision.
Maupin left the game with a one-run lead, as ex-Douglas star Jordan Hadlock hammered a two-out solo homer in the fifth to give the Bighorns a 4-3 advantage, and after Redding scored twice to take a 5-4 lead on Kolt Canaday's single, Adam Anderson stroked a two-run homer, his first of the season, in the sixth to give the Bighorns a 6-5 lead.
"It was a fastball," Anderson said. "I was happy I didn't pop it up like I did the first two times up."
Webb pitched a scoreless seventh, but ran into problems in the eighth.
Curtis Boek walked with one out, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Canaday's two-out double. Canaday moved to third on a wild pitch, but was stranded when Webb retired Tyler Berger on a roller to shortstop.
Nevada got just one runner on in the eighth against reliever David Brauhn, setting the stage for the ninth inning.
After Redding went ahead on Corson's aforementioned steal of home, Bighorns' Ryan Trosko singled with one out in the ninth. With Adam Miller at the plate, Trosko was thrown out trying to steal second.
"I told him (Trosko) if he got a good jump to go for it," Young said. "You always second-guess yourself. If you're safe you're a hero. If you're out you're a goat."
The play loomed especially large after Miller was safe on an infield single and Chris Houle singled him to second. Hadlock struck out looking to end the game.
Hadlock, Houle and Miller all had two hits for the Bighorns, who return to action at 5 p.m. today to conclude the three-game series.
FUNDRAISER ON SATURDAY
When the Bighorns meet the San Francisco Seagulls on Saturday in an 11 a.m. doubleheader at Western Nevada College, all proceeds from the game will be turned over to the Cancer Center at Carson-Tahoe Hospital in Carson City.