GUNNISON—In the two games it completed last week, the Gunnison Valley baseball team remained perfect against two region rivals and improved to 13-1 overall.
The Bulldogs overwhelmed Millard early on Tuesday and won the contest 15-2. On Wednesday, the team travelled to Juab for a game that was cancelled due to weather in the second inning before either team could score. On Friday, the Bulldogs defeated North Sevier 7-0 in a near-perfect defensive effort, but Coach Max Sanders saw room for improvement overall.
Janzen Keisel delivers a pitch to a North Sevier batter in the combined no-hitter he threw in conjunction with Creed Mogle last Friday. At first base, Harley Hill awaits contact.
“Last week was good, with kind of the expectation that we need to be able to hit better in the beginning of the game,” Sanders said. “That’s one thing we’re going to try and focus on this week; to try and get out in front and give pitchers support.”
After last week, Millard is 5-10, and North Sevier is 7-7. Juab is 16-1. If the game last Wednesday could have gone forward, it would have been a matchup of the No. 1 teams in 2A and 3A.
Gunnison Valley junior Myles Bartholomew got the win on the mound Tuesday against Millard. He pitched four innings, striking out four batters and only allowing one run. Senior Harley Hill completed the game. He struck out three batters and allowed one run.
“Myles Bartholomew really stood out on the mound,” Sanders said. “He was really able to control the game.”
That game, senior Janzen Keisel hit a home run and went 4-4 with 7 RBIs. Sophomore Easton Newman and senior Payton Dyreng each had two hits in three plate appearances.
Two days later, Keisel took the mound and delivered a second consecutive shutout to follow his complete-game one-hitter at 3A Carbon last week. In that game, he struck out 18 batters and allowed only one hit.
In this outing, Keisel threw six no-hit innings, and senior Creed Mogle finished the effort with a no-hit seventh inning to close the game.
In the fourth inning, two consecutive North Sevier batters nearly broke up what would become the combined no-hitter with swinging bunts. On each nearly identical play, though, Keisel was able to get off the mound quickly, slide on a knee to field the ball near the third-base foul line and make throws to first base in time to record the second and third outs of the inning.
Keisel also homered again on Thursday against North Sevier, as did Newman.
This week, Gunnison Valley has three games, including a double-header at Monticello yesterday and a home game against Enterprise Wednesday.
Monticello entered this week 1-8, and Enterprise 10-6.
Thatcher Stewart checks his swing on a pitch outside of the strike zone.
