Mikito Barkman continued to stay lights out in his save attempt against the Pierre Trappers on Wednesday night, as the righty lifted his team to a 6-5 win ending Western Nebraska’s three game slide.
The 6’3’’ righty out of Yakima Valley Community College, who has not given up a run in his last five appearances dating back to his first save of the year on July 9th against the Moo, left the tying and winning runs on base in the ninth by striking out one of the best power hitters in the Expedition League in Cooper McMurray. Thomas Gavello was a monster in the box going 2-4 with 2 RBI’s that included getting hit by a Colin Smith fastball to give the Pios a 6-5 lead in the eighth.
What seems like a make or break week for the Pioneers sitting at 10-15 and almost halfway through the year, The Pios didn’t start the first game of the road trip so hot. Pioneers starter Bradley Mullan for the first time all season struggled to get hitters out. The Gonzaga lefty gave up two runs in his first three innings of work, but it got even worse after the Western offense cut the Pierre deficit to one in the fourth thanks to an RBI double from Luis Alcantara.
In the bottom of the fourth, Mullan walked in the third run of the ballgame for the Trappers, but after striking out the Pierre shortstop Michael Herrera he needed one more out to get out of the bases loaded jam. The next batter after Herrera, Billy Moreland, opened the game up a little bit by picking up his fellow middle infielder and plating two on an RBI single into left field. The Trappers took a 5-1 lead, were dominating the Pios best pitcher, and their starter Jackson Back was movin and groovin in his first appearance of the year. Bradley Mullan ended his night going 6.0 innings, allowing five runs, striking out nine, and walking three
Now about that Pierre starter, Jackson Back was sensational. Back, a lefty from Bemidji State University, had a sneaky fastball and a slider that froze halfway between the rubber and home plate before spinning up again. He gave up just one run going into the sixth that wasn’t earned before the magic started to run out allowing an RBI double to Thomas Gavello and an RBI sacrifice fly to Luis Alcantara in the sixth. Back was then pulled by flamethrower from Iowa Western Community College Payton Zabel. Zabel, who came into the ballgame with an ERA under one allowed Western to get one more run in the sixth with Tyler Baca sending a line drive right over the second baseman Billy Moreland and scoring Gabe Togia from third. The Pios were now down by just one.
Eighth inning came and the Pioneers were starting to run out of outs. Zabel began the inning after throwing a scoreless seventh, but didn’t get anywhere near the outing he had in the previous inning compared to the eighth. Ethan Loveless hit a lead off single that was hit right back where it came from and through into centerfield. The next batter, Tyler Baca, walked and that was it for Zabel. Lefty Colin Smith came into the game and immediately walked the first batter he faced in Cody Kehl to walk the bases loaded. After getting a huge out number one striking out Trevor Mattson, Smith pegged Sam Hillyer in the calf to send the tying run home. Smith got another strike out on Brady Lavoie and was one out away from leaving with bases loaded and giving up just one run in the inning, which in this situation would have been a win for Smith and the Trappers. Another pitch got away from Smith though hitting Thomas Gavello on the front of his jersey, and just like that the Pios had their first lead of the ballgame.
Fast forward to the ninth, Pioneers Head Coach Ryan Sires went to one of his most stable pitchers in Miktio Barkman. Barkman got the lead off man in Tyler Wiltshire to flyout to short, but then allowed the next two hitters, Michael Herrera and Billy Moreland, to get on via single and walk. Nick Grossman now entered the box who had homered back in the first, but he popped up to the third baseman Thomas Gavello who dropped the ball, but the shortstop Alcantara who was close by picked it up and got the force out at third. Now down to their final out, The Trappers couldn’t have asked for a better man in the box in Cooper McMurray with the potential tying and winning runs on. Billy Moreland got gutsy and stole third in the McMurray at-bat to put the tying run ninety feet away from scoring. Now a McMurray single would for sure tie the ballgame.
Mikito got McMurray in a 2-2 count. One strike away from ending the Pioneers losing streak and giving McMurray the rare golden sombrero on the night. Barkman got the sign from Togia, came set at the belt, and placed a fastball right on the black on the inside part of the plate that shut the door on game one.
The Pios did not gain a game on the Clark Division leading Sodbusters, as Hastings was able to get a nice road win of their own against the Fremont Moo. Maybe though, this win for Western Nebraska will give them a spark to sweep the Trappers and put some wins together to give them a chance to gain some ground on Hastings before heading home on Tuesday to play that very squad.
