3rd & 4th Baseball offense struggles in loss

Pitching and defense were the theme of the night, NESCO also was playing with a 9-man roster for the game(with two of the nine being 2nd graders Garret Tiarks and Parker Eley playing full time with the squad, up a level from T-Ball) as outside conflicts dwindled the Royals normal 11-man roster. The young Royals again couldn't muster the timely hits to put together any scoring rallys. But the Royals are making strides as they become much more aggressive at the plate. They had several good at bats that ended in good plays made by Nevada or fouling out on Coach-pitched balls. Of note were Grant Tiarks' rocketed foul ball into the Nevada dugout and Austin Britten's line drive that the Nevada pitcher somehow got his glove up in self defense and managed to catch. Peyton Larsen recorded the only hit of the game for the Royals, a single in the 4th inning. Pitching was a plus for the Royals as Jared Johnson in his first pitching performance pitched 2 very strong innings allowing only 3 runners (on Coach-pitched hits and hit batsman) and striking out 5. Peyton Larsen again pitched a solid 2 innings for NESCO in relief, striking out 3 and allowing only 3 coach-pitched hitters to reach base. NESCO's defense was again a bright spot with several very nice plays made. Grant Tiarks, Peyton Larsen, and Dylan Gill turned in some of the nicest defensive plays. With another game Thursday the Royals will again be looking for that first win. Hitting is coming along as the Royals have only three 4th graders that played last year with live pitching. The remaining 8 players are witnessing their first at-bats in "real" baseball. Of special note was the condition of the field at Nevada's Score complex, Rhonda M. of Nevada Parks and Rec. has done a wonderful job with these ballfields as they are some of the finest in the area. With the perfectly groomed infields, scoreboards, and lights, the fans and players are made to feel that they are playing in the big time. My congratulations to Rhonda and her staff on an excellent facility.