RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
POSTED: May 11, 2012
The Reno High baseball team’s luck finally changed for the better against McQueen on Thursday, as the Huskies took a 3-1 victory in the Northern 4A Regional at Bishop Manogue.After losing three in a row to the top-seeded Lancers during the regular season, the second-seeded Huskies were due for a few breaks, and the win earned Reno entrance into Saturday’s tournamnt championhip as well as next week’s 4A state tournament.
“It’s a great honor and relief, but it means even more to get it by beating McQueen,” Reno pitcher Austin Atkerson said. “It makes it a little sweeter. The first three don’t matter if you win the last one.”The Huskies’ good fortune started in the top of the first inning, when first baseman R.J. Bush hit a pop fly to left field that should have been an easy third out. A mixture of sun glare and swirling wind caused the catch to slip away from left fielder Rob Higley, and the Huskies jumped to a 1-0 lead on the play.
“That’s just baseball,” Reno coach Pete Savage said. “I think you can talk about ‘what ifs’ in any baseball game, so I’m just proud of our guys’ effort.”McQueen’s lone run came inthe bottom of the second, when catcher Alex Bentley doubled just out of the reach of a diving Zach Paquette in center field.Reno seemed destined to win when shortstop Garrett Hampson hit a double that fell just outside the glove of McQueen right fielder Nate Gadsby in the top of the sixth.It didn’t count as an error, but had Gadsby played the ball differently, it could have been the first out of the inning. Instead, Hampson scored when Bush hit a grounder through the hole into right field to give Reno a 2-1 lead.
“They just came out and played better than us,” Lancers coach Carlos Madrid said. “That was it. My guys weren’t ready for today’s game, and I’m not sure if they thought Reno was going to roll over because we beat them a couple of times throughout the year. But just like a Pete Savage-coached team, they come out ready to play, especially in big games.”
It all started with Atkerson. The Huskies’ pitcher struck out five and allowed two hits and one walk in going the distance. He also snatched a hard-hit ground ball to his left and threw to first for the first out during the bottom of the seventh inning
The Reno High baseball team’s luck finally changed for the better against McQueen on Thursday, as the Huskies took a 3-1 victory in the Northern 4A Regional at Bishop Manogue.
After losing three in a row to the top-seeded Lancers during the regular season, the second-seeded Huskies were due for a few breaks, and the win earned Reno entrance into Saturday’s tournamnt championhip as well as next week’s 4A state tournament.
“It’s a great honor and relief, but it means even more to get it by beating McQueen,” Reno pitcher Austin Atkerson said. “It makes it a little sweeter. The first three don’t matter if you win the last one.”
The Huskies’ good fortune started in the top of the first inning, when first baseman R.J. Bush hit a pop fly to left field that should have been an easy third out. A mixture of sun glare and swirling wind caused the catch to slip away from left fielder Rob Higley, and the Huskies jumped to a 1-0 lead on the play.
“That’s just baseball,” Reno coach Pete Savage said. “I think you can talk about ‘what ifs’ in any baseball game, so I’m just proud of our guys’ effort.”
McQueen’s lone run came inthe bottom of the second, when catcher Alex Bentley doubled just out of the reach of a diving Zach Paquette in center field.
Reno seemed destined to win when shortstop Garrett Hampson hit a double that fell just outside the glove of McQueen right fielder Nate Gadsby in the top of the sixth.
It didn’t count as an error, but had Gadsby played the ball differently, it could have been the first out of the inning. Instead, Hampson scored when Bush hit a grounder through the hole into right field to give Reno a 2-1 lead.
“They just came out and played better than us,” Lancers coach Carlos Madrid said. “That was it. My guys weren’t ready for today’s game, and I’m not sure if they thought Reno was going to roll over because we beat them a couple of times throughout the year. But just like a Pete Savage-coached team, they come out ready to play, especially in big games.”
It all started with Atkerson. The Huskies’ pitcher struck out five and allowed two hits and one walk in going the distance.He also snatched a hard-hit ground ball to his left and threw to first for the first out during the bottom of the seventh inning