Blackman hands Pioneers first home district defeat
The Pioneer baseball team got a rare rough outing from sophomore phenom Derrin Rogers, as they opened a two-day District 7-AAA series with Blackman with a 4-1 loss Saturday.
Rogers struggled through his first three innings, allowing four Blaze runs on seven hits, including a home run, before settling down.
With the loss, the Pioneers fell to 13-7 overall and 4-3 in league play. Blackman improved to 14-6 (5-2).
Blackman struck first in Saturday’s game, when Frankie Beech delivered a one-out double to left, moved to third on a sacrifice fly from Ran Cole, and scored on a Cody Taylor single.
A 6-4-3 double play ended the Pioneer half of the first, and the Blaze struck again in the top of the second, when Kevin Prater singled home Nick Horton with a two-out hit.
Blaze left fielder Micah Dana doubled his team’s lead in the third, with a two-run homer to left field that scored Cody Taylor. Rogers followed with a walk to Horton, but Brad Barnes lined to Dylan Stephens, who stepped on first for an inning-ending double play.
The Pioneers got off to a strong start in the fourth, when Tyler Herriman drew a walk and Colby Killian was hit by a pitch. Todd Gilley singled to load the bases, and Stephens drove in Herriman with a sac fly. A wild pitch moved up the runners, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the threat.
Rogers finished the game by retiring 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. Blackman senior Brandon Castle earned the win, working 6-2/3 innings before being relieved by Taylor, who got Herriman to fly out to cener with two on in the seventh.
Game 2 of the weekend series is scheduled for 3 p.m. today at Blackman.