Indians notch shutout in program’s first win over Raiders

QUINCY — There’s a first time for everything. Clark County baseball coach Shaun Parker delivered that message to his team before Tuesday’s game against Quincy Notre Dame. 

The Indians listened and believed in what Parker said. Clark County scored a 4-0 victory at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield for the program’s first victory against QND.

“This is a big deal for these guys,” Parker said.

Clark County and QND first faced off on April 25, 2017 — Clark County’s fourth season as a varsity program — and QND won 16-0. They had met four times since prior to Tuesday with the Raiders outscoring the Indians 58-7 collectively in five career meetings.

“This is a big deal for our program knowing we’re playing against one of the premier programs in the tri-state area,” Parker said. “If we can play with them, we really do feel like we can play with anybody.”

The Indians (11-4) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third inning when Tristen Pitford doubled to right field, driving in Chayce Webster and Gracyn Holsted.

“That hit just gave us a little bit of momentum,” Pitford said.

Holsted drew a walk leading off the fifth inning, then Lucas Eddleman singled with two outs. On the second pitch of Koy Nixon’s at bat, QND pitcher Ethan Rose attempted to pick off Eddleman at first, but his throw eluded first baseman Abram Wiewel, allowing Holsted to score the Indians’ third run.

Caleb Nelson singled with one out in the top of the sixth, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a Webster single. 

Indians starting pitcher Connor Shatley worked six innings, and while he had to deal with some traffic on the base paths having surrendered seven hits and four walks, his calm demeanor allowed him to work through those sticky situations.

“I don’t really get nervous,” Shatley said. “I just take a deep breath here and there on the mound, just block everything out.”

It gives Parker confidence to run Shatley out there each time it’s his turn in the rotation.

“He’s very relaxed out there,” Parker said. “He does a good job of not getting caught up in the moment. He’s a guy we can give the ball to, and even if he doesn’t have his best stuff, he will figure out how to make it work. The kid just steps up. He wanted the ball.”

The Raiders (8-11) had their fair share of scoring opportunities go by the wayside, the first one coming in the first inning. Oliver Triplett singled and stole second and third with one out, but Wiewel popped out to first and Evan Kenning struck out swinging to end the inning.

Triplett and Wiewel singled on back-to-back pitches with two outs in the third. A double steal put both runners in scoring position, but they were stranded there.

The fourth inning proved to be even more frustrating for the Raiders, as a Nick Spears single and a Gavin Doellman double got runners to second and third with one out. The Raiders put on a squeeze play, but Ethan Rose failed to get the bunt down on a pitch well out of the strike zone, and Holsted reached back to get the tag on courtesy runner Elliott Hendrian before he crossed home plate.

The Raiders again stranded two runners on base in the fifth. In the sixth, an error, a Spears single and a Cale Linenfelser walk loaded the bases with two outs, but Logan Sutton lined out to center field, stranding three more runners. 

Indians reliever Bennett Plenge struck out Spears with runners on first and third to end the game as the Raiders left 12 runners on base.

Raiders coach Rich Polak said he has been pleased with his team’s recent stretch of play, but this game left him scratching his head.

“We’ve played really well the last week to 10 days,” Polak said. “To come out here today and play like that, to have so many opportunities to score and not do the job offensively, it’s definitely frustrating.”