WINNEMUCCA - With its postseason hopes on the line, the Lowry High School varsity baseball team needed to win at least two games in Elko or in reality have its year end prematurely.
After losing two games to Battle Mountain the week before, the Buckaroos did just that and won two of three games over the Indians. Lowry beat Elko 13-1 on Friday, April 6, and split a doubleheader Saturday, losing game one 14-10 and winning the finale 13-9.
"It was a lot better performance even in the loss," said LHS head coach Ron Espinola. "There was two innings in our loss where we didn't play defense well or throw the ball and Elko capitalized on that. Considering that, we played with a lot more intensity and focus throughout the 19 innings. The kids were up the entire time and didn't need reminding what was at stake. They knew they had something to play for. For whatever reason, and I am not a big rah rah guy, but these guys feed off each other and there is a big difference when they are up in the game and talking versus when they are not."
Lowry (9-9 overall, 6-3 Ruby Mountain League) left four runners on base in the first two innings of the series opener before finally climbing on to the scoreboard with three runs in the third inning. The Buckaroos had four hits in the frame, with Gus Duncan accounting for the final hit and two RBIs as he knocked in Johnny Hernandez and Tanner Lecumberry.
Elko scored its only run in the bottom of the third, only to see Lowry answer with seven runs in the fourth, forcing Elko starter Dalton Ridgeway out of the game. The Buckaroos had four consecutive hits to begin the inning, with Brandon Okuma leading off with a triple, followed by three singles from Calvin Connors, Tyler Brumm and Bryan Noble. After Jace Billingsley walked, Hernandez added a two-RBI double and Okuma closed out the inning with a single that drove in a run for his second hit of the inning and a 10-1 lead.
"Brandon has stepped up in the lead-off role for us and has done a good job," Espinola said. "He just put the ball all over the field. He can be your typical leadoff guy where he sees pitches, but he knows when he gets that pitch and he is swinging. More often than not you let him go. He is setting the tone from the start. Calvin has moved into the two hole and is doing a lot more at the plate for us than a year ago. That has allowed us to drop Jace down to the fifth spot and hit behind Bryan. You throw in the way Tyler has been swinging it and that is a potent 3-4-5 in your lineup. It has taken a while but it looks like the lineup has sorted itself out."
Lowry took advantage of three Elko errors in the top of the fifth to score three runs and eventually ended the game due to the 10-run rule. Noble went the distance for the Buckaroos. He struck out 11 and walked four, while giving up five hits.
"He threw a little more pitches than we wanted him to," added the coach. "He had some trouble with his command. As a staff as a whole we need to get into better counts and let the opponent get the ball into play."
Lowry pounded out 14 hits in the game, with Okuma leading the way with four. Brumm, Noble and Billingsley each had two hits.
"We had a lot better approaches at the plate," Espinola said. "Talking last week after Battle Mountain, we said we were going to work on certain things and we did. We did a lot of at bats in counts instead of regular batting practice. We made some small changes and I would say 90 percent of that was taken into the game."
The Indians picked up an early 1-0 lead in Saturday's first game in the first inning but the Buckaroos had other ideas, scoring four times in the third inning. Noble had the big blow in the frame with a bases-clearing triple that scored Gus Duncan, Okuma and Brumm. Noble eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Elko quickly answered with five runs in the bottom of the third on five hits to retake the advantage at 6-4. The Buckaroos clawed back for a single run in the fourth inning on a RBI single by Connors that scored Lecumberry and were back in front in the sixth inning at 7-6 after a two-RBI double by Brumm.
However just as was the case earlier in the game, Elko countered with eight runs in the bottom of the sixth that saw Lowry use four different pitchers. Trailing 14-7, Lowry rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh, off a two-RBI double by Okuma, but Lowry could not get any closer.
Billingsley started for Lowry and received a no-decision in 4.1 innings of work, allowing six runs (one earned) on nine hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Brumm went two-thirds of an inning and suffered the loss, giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits. Noble, Okuma, Lecumberry and Duncan all saw time on the mound as well. Okuma and Duncan paced Lowry with two hits apiece.
Elko used a two-run home run from Zack Armstrong in the bottom of the first inning to lead the nightcap and added two more in the second to claim a 4-1 lead. Lowry used a RBI-single from Billingsley and a bases-loaded walk to Michal Arenas to close the gap to 4-3 in the third inning but did the rest of its damage in the final innings, scoring a combined 10 runs.
The Buckaroos put together a five-run fifth inning, which included five hits, capped off by a two-RBI single by Lecumberry. Lowry added to its advantage with a run-scoring triple by Alex Nimmick in the sixth inning and picked up three insurance runs in the seventh.
Jalen Formby started and picked up a no decision in 3.2 innings of work, as he gave up five runs (three earned) on seven hits. Brumm went the next 2.1 innings to get the win and Billingsley threw the seventh to pick up the save. Connors went 4-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead Lowry. Okuma picked up three hits, with Brumm and Noble adding two hits apiece.
"It was all hands on deck for both teams," Espinola said. "That was my thought process all weekend. I was playing as if every game was the state championship for us. We have to win and get through it."
After spending the entire season on the road, Lowry makes its home debut on Friday, April 20. The Buckaroos host Spring Creek in a three-game series on Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21, which will go a long way in the playoff race.
"We have some time off and I don't know if I would rather play, but at this juncture I don't think it is a bad thing," Espinola said. "Lovelock is a good team and you have to play to win. It will be a good prep for Spring Creek. Our season is on the line with the three games against Spring Creek. For me and a lot of the kids and parents, what a better opportunity to have before you than Spring Creek standing in your way of where we want to go. We get along with them so well and know them extremely well from the kids to the coaches and parents. You throw in the playoff implications and it makes it that much more fun."
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