by The University School Preppers faced off against the Mayfield Wildcats down in Wildcat territory. The Preppers were coming off an astounding 10-0 victory against North, making their record 20-3. While Mayfield walked into this game at 6-15 after a 5-4 barn burner against Nordinia, ending a 3 game losing streak. Preppers have a great pitching crew and that was something to watch for as they only allowed 2.1 runs per game over the season. They also had the edge coming in with the last game against Mayfield ending 10-0 in the Preppers favor. I
The U.S. Preppers started off the game with run to set to the tone of the game and it progressed from there. In the first 4 innings they connected on 4 runs to take a commanding lead and make it an uphill battle for the Wildcats on their home field. The Preppers did a great job at pitching well enough to hold the Wildcats off. Nothing Gimmicky, just great pitching.
As the game progressed, there was a point in the 5th where the Wildcats had a chance to even the score. Bases were filled and #3 James Bucci, the pitcher from the Preppers walked the last batter #11 AJ Rogers Jr. and had just given #2 Aiden Galatis on the Wildcats a run by throwing 4 balls. The pressure was on to get one more out for his team to keep this lead. #14 Christophe Alexander on the Wildcats stepped to the plate and connected with a great bunt toward 3rd base to get two of his runners home for 3 runs. The score was then 4-3 at the bottom of the 5th. Pitching change occurred for the Preppers. #10 Cameron Ryan came in, He aided toward another walk for the Wildcats and filled the bases once more. One bad pitch led to a home base steal and thus the score was tied, 4-4. Right after this Preppers finally connected on a 3rd and final out to end the 5th inning.
The 6th inning was filled with some highlight hits and catches that held the game at a standstill. The 7th inning started with a bang, multiple walks for the Preppers and a great bunt connecting for 1 run to make the score 5-4. Then #1 Jack Nelson connected on a hard hit to right field out of reach of every base holder which led to 2 more runs making the score 7-4 for the Preppers. The Wildcats were able to score one more run off of a tough hit to make the score 7-5 but Cameron Ryan for the Preppers came up clutch with a strikeout to end the game at 7-5.
I got to speak to Coach McNerney after the game and asked: what were some key priorities for today’s game? He responded with “At this point in the season it’s about getting ready for the playoffs against a competitive team and also getting used to playing on a grass field as opposed to the turf at their home field at University School”
Also asked him: What adjustments, if any, did he make when the Wildcats tied the game in the 5th inning and he responded “Instilling the confidence into his players, realizing there were some slip ups with some of the pitch selections and just redirecting their focus.”
Sounds like to me Coach McNerney was excited to get his team out there and build that well-needed experience in an intense and competitive atmosphere. It was a great game to catch up on tonight as the University School Preppers walked away with a close victory against a tough team in the Mayfield Wildcats.
