Braves notch victory: Carrington drops second straight

Starting pitcher Sean Cose didn’t need it, but he got plenty of help as Kindred-Richland (19-10) bounced back from a quarterfinal loss with four runs in the first inning to advance to today’s fifth-place game.

The big inning was keyed by a two-run double from Brandon Mitchell, who also homered in the fourth inning. Five of the Vikings’ eight hits were doubles including two from Zach Nelson.

“When you’ve got teammates behind you scoring runs, it lets you relax and do what you have to do,” Cose said.

The senior hurler kept Carrington’s bats silent with a two-hit shutout. Cose (5-1) gave up a single in the second and third innings and finished with two walks and five strikeouts. He needed just 69 pitches.

“We had to come out and show people we can play, if they had any questions,” Cose said. “We can do the job.”

Carrington starter Peter Henson (5-1) allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings. Clay Heinley and Alex Nelson had the Cardinals’ only hits. Carrington (18-5) has just one run on five hits in two tournament losses.

Bottineau 9, Hatton-Northwood 0

The Braves dumped seven runs on Hatton-Northwood pitcher Greg Thompson in the fourth inning to advance to today’s fifth-place game.

Bottineau’s Justin McCloud did a variety of damage, finishing 2-for-5 with a double and four RBIs.

McCloud (6-1) also fired a six-hit complete-game shutout. He walked one and struck out six.

“Justin had a huge game, offensively and pitching-wise,” Bottineau coach Nate Simpson said. “I like Justin as a pitcher. He works quick and he’s stays low in the zone.”

The Braves (19-4) scored two in the third, but it was a bases-clearing double by McCloud in the fourth that broke the game wide open. Bottineau tallied six hits in the inning and got a strong performance from freshman Brock Hiltner, who finished 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI out of his No. 6 spot.

The bottom four hitters in Bottineau’s lineup tallied eight of the team’s 13 hits.

“We usually hit the ball well against pitchers who throw hard,” said Simpson, whose team fell 4-3 to

Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton in Thursday’s quarterfinals. “Our approach was better at the plate.”

Thompson (4-2) went four innings, though only three of the nine runs scored on him were earned. He gave up 10 hits, walked one and struck out four. Offensively, five players each logged a single for the Thunder (15-3).

Tags: class b, sports, baseball