Rattlers Shut Out Senators

From CJOnline
    Two Rossville pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout as the Rattlers won their first game in the inaugural season of the Mid-Plains League.
    Kansas State pitcher Bryce Ward threw seven innings of one-hit ball, while North Dakota’s Ellery Bresnahan threw two hitless relief frames in Rossville’s 4-0 win over the Topeka Senators on Tuesday night.
    “It feels good and we definitely got a great pitching performance from Bryce Ward tonight,” Rattlers coach Toby Cowdin said. “He threw seven strong innings with nine strikeouts, and without him we would probably still be struggling. It was a big night for the ace to come out and do what he does.”
    Ward got ahead of hitters all game long and kept his pitch count low by only having one inning with a pitch total of more than 15. He finished the night needing just 87 pitches to get through seven innings. Twice he struck out the Senators in order.
    “I got ahead with first-pitch strikes multiple times. I felt good,” Ward said. “I was throwing my breaking ball for strikes, and when you can throw all of your pitches for strikes, you can do whatever you want in the count.”
    Ward also benefited from pitching with a lead as Rossville scored single runs in the second and third innings. McKenzie McAfee led off the second inning with a solo home run to right field, while Washburn Rural product Luke Bordewick hit an RBI single in the third.
    “Our offense and defense was outstanding tonight,” Ward said. “We got a couple of early runs and that’s all we needed.”
    Bordewick, a Pittsburg State Gorilla, was 2 for 4 on the night with two singles and the one RBI. This is the third season Bordewick has played with the Rattlers, so he knows all too well how important it was to get the win for Toby Cowdin, whose father, former Rossville coach Brett Cowdin, died late last year.
The Rattlers wear No. 14 patches on their jerseys in memory of their former coach and mentor.
    “Coach (Brett) Cowdin will never be forgotten; we have his patch on our jerseys and I’ve been thinking about him a lot,” Bordewick said. “He was a great man. I loved him as a coach and a person.
    “It feels good to win. We’ve been on each other a little because we have been losing, but hopefully this win will start us on a roll. We’re starting to get in more of a rhythm and we finally got that win.”
Rattler second baseman Tim Schaarman, from Nebraska-Omaha, had a 4-for-4 night that included a two-run homer which capped the Rossville scoring.
    Ryan Colombo hit a solid single for the Senators in the first inning, but his hit would be the only one of the night for Topeka (5-4).

Senators (5-4) 000 000 000 — 0  1  1
Rattlers (1-7)   011 200 00x — 4 11 1

Colombo, Edwards (8) and Hay. Ward, Bresnahan (8) and Srna. W — Ward. L — Colombro 2B — Rossville: Srna. HR — Rossville: McAfee, Schaareman.