High school baseball: Bingham’s defense shows promise in win over Copper Hills

This early into the season, many teams are still figuring out themselves and what type of team they want to be. That is exactly where Bingham head coach Beau Stoker thought his team was before Tuesday’s game with Copper Hills.

Bingham had only played three games, but Tuesday’s game may have shown the Miners that they could be a strong defensive team. Their game with Copper Hills was their region opener, and they capitalized with a stout 2-0 win over the Grizzlies.

“We’ve only had three games, so we’re trying to figure out who we are right now and to have some guys step up in some big spots,” Stoker said. “We didn’t hit it all that well today, but we found a way to get it done. I’m proud of the boys’ effort.”

The hitting wasn’t quite there for Bingham. It had only two base hits all game and was kept scoreless after the first inning.

However, a two-run first inning made the difference for the Miners. Bingham’s Cain Stoker hit a single that brought home two runners with two outs for the go-ahead score.

Bingham struggled to get on base after the initial score, but the defense kept Copper Hills at bay.

It all started with senior Beckham Lindsey on the pitcher’s mound. Lindsey made sure to get the ball into the strike zone and relied on his team to hit behind him.

He ended the game with two strikeouts, but didn’t allow any walks until the sixth inning.

“It feels like opening day, the nerves kind of set in, but I just try to stay calm and collected throughout the whole game,” Lindsey said. “I trusted my boys behind me, and I think they made plays.”

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Nearly every time a batter connected with the ball, Bingham quickly made a play to get the out. Second basemen Paxton Larsen and leftfielder Noah DeVroom especially had impressive plays on defense. Larsen had an acrobatic throw to first in the second inning for a clutch out. DeVroom had a diving catch on a foul ball in the fourth.

“We felt good about our defense coming into the season, but you don’t really know until they get out there and play,” Coach Stoker said. “We’ve got a really good job, a really good group of coaches, positional coaches, who get them ready in the outfield and the infield. Couldn’t be happier with the staff and the job that they’ve done, and given the guys confidence to go out and make the place.”

Bingham had a chance to win the game at the top of the seventh inning if it could hold Copper Hills to at least one run. One of the few mistakes of the game came for the Miners as a fumbled ball caused them to miss a chance at a double play.

However, with runners on first and second, Bingham made up for it with a game-sealing double play and won its Region 2 opener 2-0.

“We talk a lot about the only thing that matters is the next pitch,” Coach Stoker said. “We told them to enjoy the win tonight and then go home and get ready to go again tomorrow.”