CBC?s Devers rolls through DeSmet with three-hit shutout
April 22, 2011
Written by Mike Rosenbaum
ST. LOUIS - After Tuesday?s scheduled !["Photo]("/Portals/34/devers_cbc.jpg")
game was postponed due to rain, No. 13 CBC defeated DeSmet 8-0 in the rescheduled contest on Thursday afternoon. For the second time this season the Cadets (3-0, 12-3) defeated their Metro Catholic Conference rival on the road with a strong outing from RHP Brennan Devers (right), who was the winning pitcher when they first met on March 22.
game was postponed due to rain, No. 13 CBC defeated DeSmet 8-0 in the rescheduled contest on Thursday afternoon. For the second time this season the Cadets (3-0, 12-3) defeated their Metro Catholic Conference rival on the road with a strong outing from RHP Brennan Devers (right), who was the winning pitcher when they first met on March 22.Even though every CBC starter collected a hit and contributed in the win, it was Devers that paced the Cadets in their win over the Spartans (1-3, 10-6) on Thursday. The senior fired his second complete game of the year: a three-hit shutout in which he faced only 23 hitters (two over the minimum) and retired thirteen-straight between the third and seventh innings.
Known for sudden offensive outbursts and big innings, the Cadets put up runs in a different manner on Thursday, scoring runs in six of the seven innings and epitomizing the ?one run per inning? offensive philosophy.
After a two-out walk to 1B Mike Ehrard in the top of the first, Devers helped his own cause when he laced an RBI double to right field to give the Cadets an early 1-0 lead.
They made it a 2-0 game in the third when Ehrard?s single plated SS Mike Venturella, who singled to start the inning.
In the following frame it was RF David ![""]("/Portals/34/joeschrimpf18.jpg")
Schmidt with the RBI knock, a sharp line drive to left field that allowed 2B Joe Schrimpf (right) to score from second base.
Schmidt with the RBI knock, a sharp line drive to left field that allowed 2B Joe Schrimpf (right) to score from second base.The Cadets added two more runs in the fifth thanks to a pair of run-scoring singles by Ehrard and C Parker Stewart, and DH Derek Cornell increased their lead to 7-0 with a two-run single in the sixth. And finally, in the seventh, 3B Justin Paulsen plated Schrimpf with a single.
With the complete-game shutout, Devers improved to 4-0 this season, which ties him with Schmidt for the team lead. The Quincy-bound right-hander struck out three batters without issuing a walk and recorded nine ground ball outs, including two clutch double plays started by Venturella.
?I felt really good out there, but if it wasn?t for my defense this wouldn?t have been possible,? said Devers. ?Baseball?s a team effort and I can?t be good out there unless my defense is good, so I really appreciate them helping me out today.?
?I thought it was an outstanding pitching performance,? said CBC coach Mason Horne of Devers, who threw only 73 pitches in the complete-game effort and did so in approximately an hour and a half.
Devers fastball sat 80-82 mph and touched 83 mph several times on Thursday, and was complemented by his 74-75 mph curveball and 72-73 mph changeup.
?My plan was just attack, attack, attack, and use the off-speed to hopefully get them to ground out or fly out,? said the senior when asked about his mindset on the mound. ?I?m not a guy who will blow the ball by them, so I?ve got to get my defense involved to win these games.?
?That?s a typical Devers outing,? added Horne, ?he works fast, keeps the defensive in the game, and just attacks the strike zone with late-movement. That?s big time senior leadership right there, stepping up in a big conference game.?
CBC handed DeSmet?s LHP Kyle Bouman (2-2) his second loss of the season, as they clipped the southpaw for eight hits and four walks over five innings.
?Bouman?s really tough and to get on him in the first inning was huge and really let him (Devers) settle in from a confidence standpoint,? said Horne of DeSmet?s ace. ?We had some really great at-bats today as well as some timely hits.?
The Cadets? offense was led by Ehrard, who raised his batting average to .481 with a 2-for-3 performance. The SEMO commit also drove in two more runs, giving him a total of 26 RBI this season.
Schrimpf continued his strong sophomore campaign with a 3-for-4 performance, and scored two of the CBC?s eight runs.
Cornell was also 1-for-3 with two RBI before leaving the game in the sixth after he was struck in the neck by the ball on a pick-off attempt.
3B J.C. Madey, DH Zack Caldwell, and RF Alex Everett each collected a hit for DeSmet in the loss.