With the game on the line, Bolivar coach Brad Roweton trusted his ace pitcher. The decision paid off.
Missouri State commit Connor Sechler worked his way out of a two-on, no-out seventh-inning jam, striking out three straight batters to give Bolivar a come-from-behind 7-5 road win at Rogersville in COC-Small action Thursday.
“(Sechler) had earned the right to win or lose,” Roweton said. “We were worried about his pitch count; that was going to be his last inning.
GAME PHOTOS: BOLIVAR VS. ROGERSVILLE
“It was definitely a team effort because we did not play perfectly today.”
Sechler threw all seven innings for Bolivar, unofficially allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits, six strikeouts, three walks and one hit batter. He held Rogersville hitless during a four-inning stretch from the third to the sixth.
“We didn’t play well the first two innings. We played, actually, very poorly,” Roweton said. “Defensively, I felt we were tight the first two innings. To say those runs were on Connor, I’m not sure I’d agree with that because we didn’t play well behind him. But we rebounded after the second inning and played very well defensively.”
After battling back from an early four-run deficit to tie the game, Bolivar scored the game-winning run in the top of the seventh as Dontay Sharp’s infield single plated John Michael Cates. Pinch-hitter Zach Howard followed with an RBI groundout that made it 7-5 and gave the Liberators some insurance.
Rogersville got singles from Jordan Fitzpatrick and Logan Eury to start a potential rally in the bottom of the seventh. Sechler fanned the next three batters, the final two outs coming after a wild pitch had moved both runners into scoring position.
Rogersville fell to 4-6 overall, 1-1 COC-Small with the loss. It marked the third time that the Wildcats have lost by two or fewer runs.
“I was pretty proud of the way our kids played tonight,”said Rogersville coach Casey Ledl. “Minus a couple of plays that decided the game a little bit, I really saw a different fire out of our kids tonight. It hurts to lose tonight and it hurts to lose to Bolivar, but I really feel like we took a giant step forward with the way we competed.”
Bolivar spotted Rogersville the first four runs of the game to trail 4-0 after two innings. Bolivar answered immediately in the top of the third, scoring four runs, including RBI singles from Aaron Samek, Camden Burns and John Michael Cates.
Bolivar took its first lead of the game in the next inning, going ahead 5-4 on a bases-loaded walk by Burns. The Liberators chased Rogersville starter Ryan Gruener, who gave way to Logan Eury.
Rogersville manufactured the tying run in the sixth. Following a leadoff walk and a steal, Isaac Ashley’s RBI single tied the game 5-5.
“It was nice to see us manufacture a run like that because we’ve said we’ll have to be that kind of team this year. That’s the first time I really saw us figure out, mentally, that’s what we had to do against a kid like Sechler,” Ledl said.
Rogersville tallied three runs in the second, with a two-run single from Christian Casanova and an RBI groundout by Jordan Fitzpatrick.
In a game where winds were gusting 30-40 mph, the conditions drastically altered both teams’ offenses. There were no extra-base hits in the game as traditional small-ball style took over.
“There was no left field,” Roweton said. “You had to hit the ball on the ground or try to hit a line drive to the right side. Both teams were trying to do it because anything in the air was going to be an out. The wind was blowing ridiculous. There was a ball hit that would’ve been a pop-up to the shortstop that we caught in foul ground.”
Bolivar improved to 8-1 overall, 2-0 COC-Small with the win, its only loss coming 4-3 to Monett (9-1 overall) on March 28. The Liberators play Central and Conway in a doubleheader Saturday, hosted by Conway.
Rogersville hosts Brookland (Ark.) and Greene Co. Tech (Ark.) in doubleheader Friday, with games at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.
