Everything has not gone as smoothly as hoped for the defending state champions from Cottonwood. Not everyone is swinging the bat that well, and the Colts are still looking for pitchers that can get the job done on the mound. With a vast majority of players returning from last year's title team, more might have been expected.
However, even without everything coming together perfectly, Cottonwood is still finding a way to get things done. With its 8-4 win over East Wednesday afternoon, No. 1-ranked Cottonwood moved to 6-0 in Region 6 and 7-3 overall.
"We are not clicking just yet," said Cottonwood coach Jon Hoover. "We are still missing out on some RBI situations, and we are not swinging it as well as I know we can. There are just a whole bunch of little things that we are not playing our best baseball yet; hopefully, that is still to come down the road."
While the Colts are not firing on all cylinders, they are still manufacturing runs. Never was that more evident than in the second and third innings of Wednesday's contest.
In the second inning, the first run came on a well-executed double-steal as Kyle Beverly came home. Curtis Larsen scored the next run on a balk from the pitcher. In the third, Easton Gust scored on an error. Cliff Andersen and Tanner Robles crossed home on a two-RBI double from Danny Payne, who later scored on a wild pitch. In all, Cottonwood manufactured six runs on five different types of scoring play.
"That is what it has been like the whole region season," Hoover said of the opportunistic scoring. "We have tried to be aggressive on the bases. We try to put it in play and then run like crazy."
The team found a way to post some runs leaving it up to the defense to hold off the Leopards. Just like the offense, the pitching, although a little unorthodox, found a way to get it done. Cliff Andersen, the usual center fielder, got his first start of the year. Entering the game, he had thrown a total of one inning. It may have been a surprise for East to see Andersen on the mound, but it ended as a very effective decision. He allowed only two runs — on a Sam Baldwin home run in the third inning — in four innings. He struck out five and gave up three hits.
Continuing the scrappy trend. Easton Gust threw two innings of relief. He entered with the experience of facing only one batter on the year. "Cliff and Easton can get it done for us," Hoover said. "They are going to get up there and throw strikes and let the defense play behind them. I think they both can be effective for us."
Andersen not only picked up the win from the hill, but he also was the brightest star on offense. He went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in the sixth inning that all but sealed it for the Colts. "I was just looking fastball, and when I got it, I swung as hard as I could. As soon as I connected I knew it was gone," Andersen said of the bomb. He added that if Cottonwood is to continue on and win the region it just needs to continue down the path it's on. "We just need to keep playing together as a team, and I know things will be just fine for us."
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com