Baseball: Dixon pulls out pitchers’ duel over Sterling

DIXON – In a classic pitchers’ duel at Veterans Memorial Field on Tuesday afternoon, Dixon’s Alex Harrison and Sterling’s Braden Hartman matched each other zero for zero for five innings.

With both teams trying to take advantage of their few opportunities to score, it was the Dukes who pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth to pull out a 1-0 rivalry win over the Golden Warriors in Page Park.

[ Photos from Dixon vs. Sterling baseball ]

“It was really fun, we both battled,” Harrison said. “I just got in my groove and threw strikes and let my defense do the work.”

“It was a pretty good game by both guys,” Hartman agreed. “We always come back to the dugout and talk about the zone and the pitches. … It’s just about adjusting, on the mound and at the plate.”

Harrison gave up just one hit – a blooper that Braden Birdsley flared just behind third base that Dixon third baseman Ari Selmani couldn’t corral in what would’ve been a tremendous over-the-shoulder catch. The junior right-hander allowed only three other baserunners – one on a dropped third strike in the second inning, another on an error in the sixth, and one on a two-out walk in the top of the seventh.

Only one of those runners advanced past second base. Gio Cantu led off the fifth by reaching on an error, then he stole second and took third on a wild pitch with one out. But Harrison got a swinging strikeout on a tough curveball, then induced a comebacker for the third out to keep the scoreless tie.

“Curveball was great, my slider was another great pitch – and usually I don’t throw my changeup that often, but today I think I got four or five Ks on that changeup, so that was working for me well,” said Harrison, who had 11 strikeouts and just one walk. “Overall, everything was working, and I was hitting my spots.”

“He was dealing all day long,” catcher Aiden Wiseman added. “There were a few in the dirt, that’s about it. He just kept striking people out, getting big outs when he needed to.”

Hartman was just as solid for Sterling (7-23). The senior gave up six hits while striking out five and walking two, and kept the game scoreless until the sixth.

“The last two games, I’ve just tried to focus on throwing hard,” Hartman said. “It’s just getting past that mental block and throwing the ball hard, making them hit the ball and letting my defense make plays – and they made the plays today.”

Selmani led off the second inning with a single, but Hartman struck out the next three hitters. In the third, Bryce Feit reached on a two-out error, then Harrison followed with a single to center field – but Dylan Ottens threw out Feit as he tried to go to third on the play.

In the fourth, Dixon (19-7) loaded the bases on a Quentin Seggebruch single, a walk and a fielder’s choice with one out, then a two-out walk, but Hunter Vacek’s line drive to center field went right to Ottens to end that threat. Hartman then pitched around Feit’s one-out single in the fifth, with another hard hit going right to Ottens to end the inning.

Ottens had a putout every inning except the second, and also recorded the assist to third base.

“I think every single inning I had at least one out in center field. Braden pitched really well today, and most of the balls were hit right to me and I didn’t have to move,” Ottens said. “It was a close game. It was hard-fought, and it was a little heartbreaking that we couldn’t get the win.”

The Dukes finally broke through in the sixth. Selmani led off with his second single of the game, then went to second on Quade Richards’ sacrifice bunt. Robbie Ramirez came in as a pinch-runner, but pinch-hitter James Leslie’s hard hit again went right to Ottens in center field for the second out.

Wiseman, who walked with runners on second and third and two outs in the fourth, came up with another chance to drive in a run, and he delivered. He blooped a single into short right field, and it dropped between Sterling’s right fielder, second baseman and first baseman as Ramirez rounded third and sprinted home with the go-ahead run.

“I noticed right field was playing back a little bit, so I thought, ‘All right, let’s try to drive it to right field.’ It wasn’t the best hit, but it got the job done, so I was just glad that it happened,” Wiseman said. “With both [Harrison and Hartman] pitching the way they were, we knew we had to play small-ball and then get that big hit. We put the barrel on the ball all day long, and we just needed that one thing to fall to get that run.”

Harrison got two quick outs in the top of the seventh, then walked Hartman on four pitches and went 2-0 to Birdsley. But another tough off-speed pitch after Birdsley fouled off two good 3-2 pitches gave Harrison a final strikeout and finished the game.

It’s the second straight one-run loss against Dixon for Sterling, after the Dukes won the regional semifinal game between the two rivals last season on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth.

“Especially after last year, losing to them in regionals on a walk-off, it was kind of one of those things that gave me motivation to go out, throw hard, and play hard,” Hartman said. “We just couldn’t get it done.”