Growing up before the eyes of many, inexperienced Boulder City High School baseball earned a playoff victory against Mater East on May 6.
Featuring a team made of mostly juniors and sophomores with no prior varsity experience, the Eagles are learning on the job, culminating with a 11-1 opening-round victory in the 3A southern region tournament.
“We have had a lot of players put in spots that they were not ready for and I feel they all stepped up,” head coach Denny Crine said. “There were a few bumps in the road, but I am so proud of how we are playing right now. Every game we play for the rest of the year will make us better for next season.”
Propelling this young squad to victory was a familiar face, four-year varsity starter Derek Render, who pitched a gem of a game on the mound.
“It is great having Derek back on the mound,” Crine said. “Hopefully we will have an opportunity to see him pitch again this week.”
Back from a UCL strain that kept him off the mound during the early portion of the season, Render looked like his old self against Mater East, allowing only one hit, while striking out three batters.
“It feels really good to be back on the mound contributing to winning ball games,” Render said. “I’m thankful my arm has been feeling great through my last two outings on the mound.”
Adding run support against the Knights were juniors Gavin Flake (1-for-3, three RBIs), Steven Uszynski (2-for-3, three RBIs) and sophomore Karter Law (2-for-4, two RBIs).
Falling into the losers bracket of the tournament, the Eagles will hope to battle back after a 7-1 defeat to rival Virgin Valley on May 7.
Senior Ian Aldridge batted 2-for-3 with an RBI double.
Results from the Eagles’ May 8 matchup with SLAM Academy and the remainder of the postseason will appear in next week’s issue.
Contact Robert Vendettoli at robvendettoli@yahoo.com.