CARSON CITY — It was a mixed bag of results for the Lowry High School baseball this past weekend, competing in the Mike Bearman tournament. The Buckaroos played four games in three days in three cities.
“The biggest thing that hurt us this weekend was our pitching,” said LHS coach Benny Martinez. “We gave up way too many walks and hit batters. Still, I thought it was a weekend we could build one.”
Lowry went 1-3 over the four games, defeating Churchill County 8-5 on Thursday afternoon in Fallon in a non-conference match-up.
In the win over the Greenwave, the Buckaroos broke a scoreless tie with six runs in the fourth inning. Anthony Hemp opened the inning with a single and Caden Ricci was hit by a pitch. After a single by Tyler Neu, Josh Leveille doubled home a pair of runs to give Lowry a 3-0 lead.
Garette Hinshaw kept the rally going, reaching base on an error and Klay Garner and Brooks Bergenheier added to the rally with base hits to give Lowry a 6-0 advantage.
Churchill County, who did not get a runner past second base in each of the first four innings, struck for five runs in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 6-5. The Greenwave had just one hit in the frame, but Lowry pitching walked four batters and hit two more.
Lowry picked up two insurance runs in the sixth inning, as Garner and Bergenheier each scored a run.
Bergenheier had two hits for Lowry and he also pitched three scoreless innings, allowing three hits. He struck out two batters. Michael Yarnell, Neu, Hemp, Leveille and Garner each had one hit. Leveille had two RBI.
“We got out on them and hit the ball well,” Martinez said. “We played pretty good. “We had one bad inning where we let them back in it. We were cruising and then hit an inning where we couldn’t throw a strike.”
Lowry falls
to Spanish Springs
Lowry made its way to Sparks and Reed High School for two games. Lowry’s first game on Friday was an 11-1 loss to Spanish Springs. The Cougars scored single runs in the first and second innings and two more in the third to lead 4-0.
Lowry’s lone run of the contest came in the top of the fourth inning by Yarnell, who led off the frame with a walk. He scored when Jordan Parker reached on an error. Hemp had the lone hit for the Buckaroos.
Spanish Springs scored four runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth to win by the 10-run rule.
“We knew they were going to be a tough team,” added the coach. “If we pitch a little better, it’s a closer game.”
Raiders knock
off Buckaroos
In the second game on Friday, Lowry took on Reed and lost 14-4 to the Raiders. Reed jumped out to a 9-0 advantage after two innings of play. Lowry got on the board in the third inning on a RBI-single by Neu that scored Justin Horton.
The Raiders added five runs in the bottom of the third inning to go up 14-1. The Buckaroos rallied in the third inning for three runs, beginning with with a RBI-double by Gratian Dawson. Yarnell also had a two-run home run. Neu had a team-high two hits.
Carson defeats Lowry
Lowry closed out the tournament in Carson City on Saturday afternoon with a 4-2 loss to Carson. The Senators took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, only to see the Buckaroos rally in the third.
With two outs in the frame, Bergenheier hit a ground ball off the pitcher’s leg and was able to reach first base. Hemp followed with a single of his own to put two runners on base. After a walk to Neu to load the bases, Dawson singled to left field to score Bergenheier, but Hemp was thrown out at the plate as he tried to give Lowry the lead at 2-1.
Carson used three consecutive singles in the bottom of the third to go back in front 2-1. Lowry tied the game in the fourth, as Leveille scored on a balk.
Carson took the lead for good in the fourth inning, using a walk and a double to go up 3-2. The Senators notched an insurance run in the sixth inning to hold on for the win.
“It was a well played game,” Martinez said. “Tristen (Schmittel) threw the ball well for us. A couple errors hurt us and a couple timely hits were not there. We hot a couple good balls that got caught up in the wind.”
Lowry opens Northern 3A play at home on Saturday against Spring Creek in a doubleheader at 11 a.m.
“I see some good things from these kids and the future,” Martinez said. “They are wanting to get better and we are going to keep pushing harder and harder. We will see what we can do this weekend against Spring Creek.”
