Shortstop Kody Reynolds upends a CSN baserunner Friday at John L. Harvey Field. The Wildcats lost game one of the doubleheader to the Coyotes in extra innings, 2-1.
It was a game Western Nevada needed to win, and it was two of the Wildcats’ lesser-known players who made it happen.
After a hit batsman forced in the go-ahead run, No. 9 hitter Austin Andrews and leadoff hitter David Modler delivered two-run hits to spark a five-run sixth inning and lift the Wildcats to a 9-4 win to gain a split in Friday’s Scenic West Athletic Conference doubleheader against arch rival College of Southern Nevada at John L. Harvey Field.
CSN won the opener, 2-1, in eight innings as A.J. Jones and Josh Nuernberg combined on a 3-hitter.
The four-game series concludes today with a single game at noon. CSN’s highly touted Phil Bickford, a first-round draft pick in 2013, will face the Wildcats with first place at stake. WNC is 10-5 and CSN is 9-6.
“We could have folded (after CSN’s four-run second inning against Chase Kaplan), but we kept grinding and stayed the course,” WNC head coach D.J. Whittemore said. “I’m proud of them. They deserve all the credit.”
The comeback in the nightcap actually started in the bottom of the fifth when the Wildcats, trailing 4-2, scored twice to tie the game on a throwing error and a sacrifice line drive by Modler.
Ty Fox (3-1), who normally starts the fourth game of the series, came on for an up-and-down Kaplan. The lefty allowed four runs and five hits, all four of the runs coming in the second inning. Fox came on and silenced CSN over the final two innings on just one hit, and his teammates rewarded him with a win.
Kody Reynolds singled to open the seventh against Kayden Porter, 1-1. He advanced to second on a single by Tim Lichty. D.J. Peters hit a deep fly to center, and both runners moved up to second and third, respectively.
Bradley Lewis popped up for the second out. Brandon Lapointe walked to load the bases, and Porter plunked Jon Guzman with an 0-2 fastball to force Reynolds in to make it 5-4.
Andrews followed with a hard groundball just inside the line at first that went into the corner, as Lichty and Lapointe scored to make it 7-4.
“It was an outside fastball,” Andrews said. “I put a good swing on it, and it got by him (the first baseman). It felt good to come through.”
Modler, not known for his power, muscled up on a fastball and drove it to deep center to score Guzman and Andrews to make it 9-4. Kyle Brown came on to hit Jake Bennett, but retired Reynolds to end the uprising.
“I had a good day,” Modler said. “I did a good job of getting the bat head through the ball and squaring it up.”
Modler even ended the game with a defensive gem, turning a ball hit up in the middle into a game-ending double play.
He and Andrews received well-deserved praise from Whittemore.
“They both work as hard as anybody we have,” Whittemore said. “They put a lot of time in. I’m proud and happy for them coming through like that.”
The opener easily could have gone WNC’s way, too.
Max Karnos, the ace of the staff, pitched well enough to win. He worked the first seven, allowing five hits and striking out eight. His counterpart, Jones, was even better. Jones allowed three hits and fanned five. Both got no decisions and left with the game tied at 1.
CSN scored in the third on Ali Deolarte’s run-scoring single. Karnos retired the next 12 batters. He got a defensive gem from Bennett, who robbed Mason Hayes of at least a double, with a running catch in right-centerfield.
Bradley Lewis’ sacrifice fly in the fifth knotted the game at 1. Jones retired the next nine before departing.
“He (Karnos) threw well,” Whittemore said. “Their lineup is not easy to pitch to.”
“Their guy threw well,” Karnos said.
“I’m happy with the way I threw. I did have a lot of three-ball counts, but I had enough confidence in my fastball to throw strikes when I needed them. I have confidence in my guys.”
Reliever Cody Kerns, who took the loss, probably deserved a better fate.
Cain Brady hit a bouncing ball to short. Reynolds bobbled the ball on the transfer and Brady barely beat the throw. After a sacrifice bunt, Jesse Keiser singled Brady to third. Kenny Meimerstorf followed with a groundball to third, and WNC was unable to turn the double play and Brady scored to make it 2-1.
“I’m sure that is a play Kody will tell you he should make,” Whittemore said. “One run (and three hits) is not going to win many games. It puts a lot of pressure on your pitchers and defense.”
“He (Jones) was hitting his spots,” Peters said. “He threw a lot of breaking balls and change-ups early in the count. I didn’t think we had very good at-bats, though.”