Senior duo and frosh lead Durant win at Newsome
Durant senior Chase Mobley (#10) and the Cougars drop the “boom” after his three-run homer to right put his team up 6-0 in the fourth inning.
By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor
LITHIA – Durant senior Blaine Rowland found his groove quickly on the mound in a Tuesday evening start at Newsome. He worked fastballs in early, striking out a pair in the first, but the next inning he found a better strategy in pitch selection.
“The slider was working amazing today,” Rowland said. “That was one of those things where I said, ‘I’m throwing that until you hit it.’ So, there were points (where) I threw seven-, eight-in-a-row without a fastball.”
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Rowland fanned a dozen in six innings of work as the Cougars offense got the lead and added on in a 6-0 win against the Wolves.
An early substitution for Durant (12-3) saw freshman Shawn Graves moved into the two-hole of the lineup and manning second base. As expected, the baseball immediately found him on defense, a sharp ground ball headed his way and after recovering from a slight bobble, he threw on to first to record an out.
Freshman Shawn Graves throws for an out after coming on as an injury replacement in the second.
Then Graves mixed in on offense, walking to start the third inning, and scoring on a Brantley Hayward double that burned the defender in right.
Durant’s Brantley Howard doubles in a run to right field.
Newsome (12-4) got a Cash Peterson single and a Wade Walton single out of the first three innings, but little else against Rowland as his strikeouts started to build.
“We have no fear with (Blaine) out there,” Graves said. “I feel like he’s going to strike everybody out, and any ball my way is going to be right at me, easy.”
The Wolves coaches tried to mix things up on the Cougars, not giving its own pitchers too much leeway in a planned committee approach.
Shawn Graves singles in two runs in the fourth inning.
But the game’s margin would change considerably in the fourth, as Durant worked the bases loaded and Graves came through with a two-run single into right field. Followed immediately by Cougars senior Chase Mobley, who would put the game out of reach with a three-run blast down the line in left.
“It was 0-1 after a first, fastball strike,” Mobley said. “Being a pitcher myself, I was setting up the sequencing in my head, knowing what a guy might go with on certain counts. So, he left a curveball up and I caught it out front.”
Chase Mobley watches his three-run homer sail out toward the left-field corner.
Mobley’s subdued, measured assessment of his fourth homer of the year, was in contrast of his fellow senior pitcher Rowland, who was thrilled with the support behind him.
“Shawn Graves, being a freshy, coming on in a big situation,” Rowland said, “he shortened up and got it through – you can’t ask for anything more right there.”
“Brantley came in clutch with the bat, two or three hits today. And Chase? Big swing. Always special with this lineup.”
Durant senior Blaine Rowland.
Graves was 1-for-2 with a walk, just his second hit of his high school career, and was pleased he was able to chip in on a win.
“This feels amazing,” Graves said. “… all our guys are good and I didn’t want to let them down.”
Adding with a chuckle: “I’m just glad I didn’t.”
Cougars senior Noah Morales left the game after the first inning after feeling a little discomfort on a swing in his first at-bat, and his removal meant Graves would get the quick call to action. Mobley, who made seven starts on the mound as a freshman at Plant City High, said that not having too much notice might have helped settle any apprehension for Graves, rather than having the pregame to think about it.
Newsome shortstop Anthony DeVito leaps over Durant runner Devin Suero after beating him to the bag for a putout in the second.
“I think it helps you a little bit, maybe at first you’ll have those nerves,” Mobley said. “But even though he’s younger, Graves really seemed to settle those nerves pretty quickly. He plays with composure and you saw how he played on the field and swung the bat tonight.”
Nick April-Gath singled and scored a run for the Cougars, Hayward was 2-for-3, and Pete Oderio was 1-for-2 with a sac bunt and a walk.
Cougars senior shortstop Nick April-Gath makes a leaping throw for an out after coming across the bag on a first-inning ground ball.
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Durant’s Pete Oderio drops down a sac bunt.
A Wolves runner reached on a dropped third strike and Ryan Spitzer singled to center in the sixth inning, and the Wolves biggest threat came as both advanced a base on a ground out. But Rowland nipped that threat with his 12th strikeout.
Switch-hitter Ryan Spitzer hit a single in the sixth.
The Wolves employed six pitchers in the game with Aiden Dolan, Roman Bovelsky, Sam Phelps and Marco Cafaro pitching scoreless innings in the loss.
Newsome junior pitcher Roman Bovelsky.
Newsome’s offense kept working to the end, with Drew Mega and Trey Bosso each hitting singles back up the middle off Cougars reliever Jack Brooks. But the junior righty clamped down on the Wolves offense, striking out a pair and getting a ground out in-between.
Durant reliever Jack Brooks gave up two singles in the seventh, before slamming the door shut with two strikeouts and a ground out.
The loss ended an impressive eight-win streak for Newsome, but the Wolves had no answer for Durant’s pitching.
“We struck out way too much, and my batters didn’t make adjustments,” Newsome coach Dick Rohrberg said. “We had long swings, and our pitchers didn’t throw strikes – you can’t win like that.
“We need to get to work and get ready for East Bay, and hopefully beat them and get that momentum building again.”
The Wolves will travel to see the Indians on Friday; while the Cougars play host to neighbor Plant City on Thursday.
Cougars senior and University of Florida signee Blaine Rowland lets out a yell after stranding a pair in scoring position with his 12 strikeout.
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#6 Durant 6, #2 Newsome 0
D 001|500|0 – |6|7|0
N 000|000|0 – |0|5|1
W – Rowland (4-0); L – Astacio
2B – Hayward, Oderio (D); HR – Mobley (D). Records – D (12-3); N (12-4).
