Broncos split diamond doubleheader with Connell

The season’s first doubleheader Tuesday didn’t end quite the way the Broncos would have liked. They split the outing with Connell, winning the second game in five innings, 12-2, but lost the first game, 13-12, after leading 11-0.

The first game was anchored early by ace Tyler Frederick, who turned in four-plus innings on the mound. After four innings, with an 11-0 lead, Frederick had thrown 43 pitches, struck out two and walked one.

“Our goal was for him to throw 65 pitches,” head coach Jason Aldrich said. “In the fifth he was really starting to labor.”

Aldrich is “really cautious” with all of his pitchers in the opening games of the year. The team monitors pitch count closely and makes sure even the veterans go slow as they bring up their arm strength. Prior to the Connell games, the LRS pitchers had one controlled scrimmage where they threw just 15 pitches.

“That’s what these games were about, getting strength and getting work in,” Aldrich said.

When Frederick loaded the bases with no outs early in the fifth, Aldrich made a switch, bringing in Colin Sheffels in relief. He gave up three runs and struggled through an inning and two-thirds. Still, Aldrich was pleased with the developing pitcher’s skills.

“It was his first outing and struggled a little bit with controlling his energy,” Aldrich said. “But, when he’s on, he’s really good.”

In the sixth inning, Sheffels recorded the first two outs quickly and then gave up four walks that all scored.

Veteran reliever Dylan Hartz finished out the final inning and a third. Wrestling with a sore back from postseason basketball, Hartz struggled as well, giving up five runs in the seventh.

At the plate, Sheffels enjoyed success, finishing 2 for 3 with a triple, double, sacrifice fly and two RBI. Blake Hunter was 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Bridger Smith was 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI. Hartz was 3 for 4 at the plate and Cort Ruzicka was 2 for 5. Damien Rouleau was 2 for 4.

Rouleau also had a chance to give the Broncos enough of a cushion to win on the 10-run rule when he made a sprint for home from second base.

“It was a great throw, a great relay and the catcher did a good job of blocking the plate,” Aldrich said.

After that stop at the plate, Connell took the momentum and turned the game into their favor.

The second outing was all LRS behind the pitching of Ruzicka. He would go the five inning distance, throwing 70 pitches. He recorded four strike outs, one walk and allowed two earned runs in the first inning and four hits.

“He had pretty good comman and threw really well,” Aldrich said.

The Broncos scored one in the first, one in the second and then eight during a wild third inning. They sealed the win with two more in the fourth.

The third inning was a crazy mixture of offense and mistakes by Connell’s defense. Aldrich said the Broncos manufactured runs on a couple of walks, two hit batsmen, an error, a wild and a triple by Connor O’Neill and a double by Smith.

For the game, O’Neill had a double, triple and two RBI while going 2 for 3 at the plate. Hartz and Ruzicka were 2 for 4 and Brandon McClure was 2 for 3.

The Broncos have work to do and Aldrich said that comes after assessing these two games.

“We still have some questions like what is our defensive rotation going to be,” he said. “How are we going to move people around to get the best defense?”

The Broncos travel to Yakima on April 1 to face Riverside Christian in a nonleague outing during spring break.