Sophomore deals as Bengals win second-straight home game, 7-3
BOXSCORE
(March 11, 2008) — For the second straight day, a sophomore took the mound for Bonanza's baseball team and, once again, the Bengals got the same result as they bested Cimarron-Memorial, 7-3.
Bonanza (2-2) got an excellent spot start from 10th-grader, Kris Bryant, who went six strong innings in holding a potent Cimarron offense in check. Bryant (1-0) allowed just one earned run on four hits and four strikeouts. Fellow sophomore Mario Franzese picked up his first career save in relief of Bryant, stranding an inherited runner after coming in with a man on first and no out.
"It's just great to see the younger guys step it up," head coach Derek Stafford said. "You don't have to want to count on youth, but when they play like seniors, it makes it an easy choice. Kris wanted the ball today and, because of a late line-up change due to injury, he got it.
"He really stepped in and picked our team up today. Anytime a player wants the ball and shows a genuine desire to carry his team, you have to be impressed. We haven't even touched the potential of the young players we have on our roster so the future is very bright. Today, they did their job like seniors."
Senior Chris Antoku was pesky at the plate, finishing the game 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. He got help from fellow senior Nick Bryant, who was 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Junior Kyle Hutchens drove in a pair of runs and stole his fourth base of the season.
Bonanza fell behind 2-0 after a pair of unearned runs in the top of the second, but responded with four of its own in the bottom half of the inning, giving Kris Bryant all the run support he would need. A two-run double down the line by Antoku expanded the lead before a dropped third strike and subsequent errant throw allowed the Bengals to put the game out of reach for good.
"Our offense keeps on swinging it well and today, we played solid defensively," Stafford said. "Our only error was a player who didn't even get a chance to take infield-outfield because he was slated to start in left. As you can tell, we're a little banged up right now but we're playing gutsy baseball, a true gut check early in the season. After a rough start, we seem to be getting acclimated to the speed of the game.
"Spring Break will be a nice break for these guys so they can rest and get ready for league, which starts when we come back. Tomorrow, we have to get right back at it tomorrow so there's no rest for the weary."
The Bengals travel to Centennial Wednesday afternoon, reuniting the Bengals with former pitching coach, Chris Martinez, who is an assistant head coach with the Bulldogs. Martinez was the Bonanza pitching coach for two years, including 2006 — when the Bengals were the Sunset Region runners-up.
