Trying to find that spark that can propel them to victory, Aberdeen couldn’t produce enough offense to keep up with Black Hills on Wednesday evening.
In an Evergreen 2A Conference doubleheader, the Bobcats snapped a no-hitter midway through the opener and ran out of gas in the nightcap.
In the opener, Aberdeen parlayed a no-hitter breaking double by Josh Collett into a two-run frame, but couldn’t take advantage of chances in a 5-2 loss.
In the nightcap, the Bobcats were shorthanded and used a cobbled lineup to get through the Wolves in a 9-1 loss.
“I’ll be honest, I’m surprised with how we played,” AHS head coach Shon Schreiber said. “Today, the boys seemed more relaxed to play, like they had nothing to lose. It is tough on everyone and all we’re asking the kids is to do everything they can to play their best. We just have to go out and just play. They did that today.”
Wolves 5, Bobcats 2
For 3 1/3 innings, Black Hills’ Jake Perry had a no-hitter going against Aberdeen and looked comfortable. But, he hit Jake Metke with a pitch and gave Collett something to swing at in the bottom of the fourth.
Collett connected with a double to right-center field, moving Metke to third. Starting pitcher Grant Larson got an RBI groundout to snap the shutout and Brian Fuchser’s RBI single tied the game at 2-2.
Larson, who kept the Wolves from pouncing early, gave up single runs in the first and third innings. In the third, he stranded the bases loaded and survived other jams on the mound.
Aberdeen had a chance to give Larson the lead in the fifth inning, putting two runners into scoring position with one out. Two fielding errors moved Josh Germeaux to second and Milan Jandu got on base on a fielder’s choice. Both moved to third on a wild pitch. However, the Bobcats grounded out and struck out to end the inning and the threat.
In the sixth, Black Hills used bunts to move runners around, pushing the go-ahead run across with one out for a 3-2 lead. In the seventh, Larson nearly escaped another jam when a two-run triple by Nate Hutson gave the visitors some insurance runs.
Wolves 9, Bobcats 1
Illness forced Aberdeen to shuffle its lineup for both games of the doubleheader, with first baseman Jake Metke moving to third base and Josh Collett to first base.
Also, outfielder Austin Lawrence took over at shortstop, while Pisani, a freshman call-up from the junior varsity squad, took over at second base.
With depth at a premium, the Bobcats gave Germeaux his first start of the season on the mound. Germeaux, Fuchser and and Pisani each got work on the mound as the Wolves took control early in the contest.
“We ran out of pitching,” Schreiber said. “Grant threw a great game in the first game and we looked like we had a good chance at them. But, in the second game, it came down to guys playing in different positions and that hurt. However, they all played hard.”
Today, Aberdeen (0-8, 1-10) hits the road to take on league-leading Chehalis.
Black H 101 001 2 — 5 10 3 Aber 000 200 0 — 2 3 2
Perry and Z. Loveless; G. Larson and Germeaux.
RBI: Black Hills — E. Loveless, Milles, Hutson 2, Parr. Aberdeen — G. Larson, Fuchser. Two hits: Black Hills — E. Loveless, Hutson. Triples: Black Hills — E. Loveless, Hutson. Doubles: Black Hills — Z. Loveless. Aberdeen — Collett.
Winning pitcher — Perry (seven strikeouts). Losing pitcher — G. Larson (one strikeout, four walks).
