One for the money
BENTON — Benton coach Chip Sorber doesn't consider himself a superstitious man.
A day after his infield had a perfect practice, he woke up Tuesday feeling great about the Tigers' chances heading into a likely pitchers' duel with Northwest.
All of that proved to be true, and the difference in a 1-0 victory over the Rangers.
"I've heard the phrase 'you don't want to have the best practice the night before a big game,' but the kids are working hard and we're getting better," Sorber said. "I respect [Northwest]... they're very competitive and I knew we would be, too."
Emmitt Yost overcame early hiccups and settled in nicely to the tune of eight strikeouts — with another six at-bats seeing two-strike counts — and just one walk and one hit allowed.
His free pass was issued in the first inning to Trevor Dietz. Dietz immediately put pressure on the Tigers by stealing second, but Yost got the Rangers to go 0-for-2 with him in scoring position. That's where they'd finish for the contest.
He also induced eight groundballs, which the infielders played perfectly. He had the Rangers' timing off so well, the ball only left the infield twice for a pair of flyouts to center. He threw 78 pitches.
Not bad for a pitcher who has his best friend, Connor Kapp, behind the plate calling the game.
"I was just in my head and thinking too much. I was thinking 'don't throw a ball' and you can't do that," Yost said of his first-inning walk. "I just told my coaches that and I buckled down from there. ... The coaches gave me encouragement."
The only hit the Rangers could muster off the senior hurler came via RJ Moyer hitting a slow roller straight into the ground towards third base. That ended a streak of 12 straight batters set down.
Though Moyer beat the throw to first, he was thrown out by Kapp moments later attempting to steal second.
Still, Yost was seen playing with an edge, catching the ball with his bare hands after his infielders were throwing it around the horn following a strikeout in the seventh. Like a man on a mission, who finished by retiring the last seven hitters, four via the strikeout.
Cavuto, meanwhile, was smiling big in the bottom of the sixth. He had plenty of good reasons despite not having the same defensive performance behind him, or more importantly, the lead.
"He battled and showed he's a competitor," Northwest coach Joe Zelinske said. "... It was a great game with two great pitchers and I couldn't be more proud of our guy."
The Tigers got all they needed on Cavuto in the second. They first loaded the bases with Cam Davis reaching on a fielder's choice, Dalton Koch getting hit by a pitch and Seth Kolb reaching on an infield error. All three advanced on a first-pitch wild pitch. Cavuto settled in and notched one of his three strikeouts and a lineout to the second baseman.
All three of his punchouts came with the Tigers in scoring position as they finished 0-for-8 in such situations.
He also got Yost to hit into a 6-3 double play just one batter after Cavuto looked to have injured his knee on a nice jump play on a comebacker by Kapp that Cavuto had a tough time with the transition.
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