Richmond-Burton freshman Anthony Harvey tosses complete game gem at Plano, gets first varsity win

PLANO – Anthony Harvey’s subdued walk off the mound after the final out Wednesday hardly reflected the Richmond-Burton freshman’s big moment.

With his stuff, there’s more to come.

Harvey, getting a swinging third strike on his 102nd pitch, finished off a complete game three-hitter for his first varsity win. Harvey struck out eight and out-dueled Plano ace Jason Phillips 2-1 in the Kishwaukee River Conference series finale.

“It’s incredible, all the summer days working out, pushing myself to be the best. It’s paid off,” Harvey said. “Just trying to stay composed out there. Sometimes in baseball things don’t go your way. You have to stay calm, composed and locked in.”

Harvey was indeed locked in after getting nicked for a run in the first. He struck out the side in the second and allowed just one baserunner after Phillips’ two-out single in the third.

And the strapping 6-foot, 220-pound right-hander who hardly looks like a 15-year-old was efficient, throwing 62 of 102 pitches for strikes.

That’s no surprise to Richmond-Burton coach Mike Giese, who saw Harvey need just 91 pitches to throw eight innings against Woodstock.

“He’s a big boy and he fills the strike zone,” Giese said. “He throws a lot of strikes and has a really good changeup. He can keep hitters off balance. He has some mechanical issues to work on but he’ll grow. He he a good future.”

Harvey’s first start of the season, on the Rockets’ spring break trip to Alabama, came against the No. 1-ranked team in Alabama. The first batter he faced, a Division I recruit. He got beat up a little bit that time out, but Giese has indeed seen him grow – and consistently pound the zone.

“Lots of days with my pitching coach, Bill Taylor, every Monday,” Harvey said. “I go to work with him for a good hour, focus on location, staying fluid through my motion and just competing.”

Harvey was at his competitive best Wednesday in the sixth inning, after giving up a leadoff double to Plano’s Josh Stellwagen and balking him to third.

But he came back to strike out the dangerous Phillips swinging on a high fastball and held the lead by retiring the next two batters on grounders.

“Phillips is a great player, strong, big kid, physical,” Harvey said. “Just had to stay focused and pound the zone, compete with him, make him swing the bat, see what I can do.”

Phillips, who struck out eight and allowed just four hits, was a hard-luck losing pitcher.

It’s unfortunately for him not an unfamiliar result.

Phillips’ last start, he no-hit Harvard with 13 strikeouts, but lost 1-0 on a stolen base and throwing error.

“Pretty similar games, unfortunately. He looks unhittable at times,” Plano coach Nate Hill said. “He’s at a point in his pitching where he feels confident in all his pitches. Teams have trouble hitting him. We just have to find a way to get a few more runs.”

Phillips hustled for a double on a pop fly that dropped in the first and came around to score on a wild pitch for the game’s first run.

Richmond-Burton (7-15, 6-8), no-hit by Phillips for three innings, got all Harvey needed in the fourth.

Cooper Nagel lined a one-out single for the Rockets’ first hit, and one out later Bryce Kowall was hit by a pitch. With runners at second and third, Logan Johnson grounded a single in the hole.

The throw home had the second runner beat, but was dropped, allowing the go-ahead run to cross the plate.

“A few things don’t go our way, errant throw, not able to make the play completely, the one that gave them the two runs,” Hill said. “Thought we should have had them at home, just didn’t get the ball secured.”

Richmond-Burton’s win, and Harvey’s work, was a welcome sight to Giese a day after the Rockets gave up six runs in the sixth and 15 in the seventh of a 21-1 loss to Marengo they led with two innings to go.

It also completed a two-game series sweep of Plano (7-18, 3-10).

“It was nice, after yesterday,” Giese said. “We played three games in three days. In 21 innings we played about 19½ good innings. That 1½ was a bad one, but it was nice to come back today.”