With the bases loaded in the third inning and temperatures soaring, Danny Nelson (Clemson) trotted onto the mound for his first-ever CCBL appearance — and delivered.
Nelson entered the game with Y-D trailing 2-1 and only one out in the third inning, but he struck out the final two batters of the frame. Y-D used that momentum to score seven unanswered runs and defeat the Harwich Mariners 8-5 on opening day at Red Wilson Field.
Nelson's outing set the tone for Y-D. The 6-foot-1 rising sophomore had all of his pitches working, including his changeup, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings while striking out five, allowing no hits and issuing just one walk.
“Everything was working really well out there. It helps when I have a bunch of guys behind me that can make great plays for me too,” Nelson said. “It felt really good being out there, and even better when it's hot outside too. Then again, my catcher (Mateo Serna) is really good and knows what he's doing back there, so it gives me a lot of confidence.”
CCBL Hall of Famer and Y-D pitching coach Eric Beattie loved what he saw from Nelson.
“It was the perfect balance of coming in on a mission with composure,” Beattie said. “He came in, he knew what he needed to do, and he executed it perfectly.”
Y-D's opening-day starter was Connor Hamilton (Vanderbilt), who stayed level-headed despite some tough luck defensively. Hamilton allowed one earned run over 2.1 innings before Nelson relieved him.
“Connor threw well. The fastball command was a little bit iffy, but he still made the pitches he needed to make to keep our team in it,” Beattie said. “We're not worried about our defense. These guys are great players. They're gonna bail him out at some point this summer too, but it was definitely a good outing for him to get his feet wet.”
Offensively, John Beverley (Auburn) used his speed to capitalize on two wild pitches in the second inning, resulting in Y-D's first run of the season. Two innings later, KJ Scobey (Texas Tech) turned on the first pitch he saw, blasting a grand slam to left field and giving Y-D a 5-2 cushion.
“I really want to work on my approaches up here (in the CCBL),” Scobey said. “First pitch swinging and being able to help out our team felt really good.”
Brodie Johnston (Vanderbilt) fouled off two pitches before roping an RBI single to left field in the fifth inning. He later reached base in the seventh and helped bring home two more runs on a Harwich error.
Y-D allowed three runs in the ninth inning, but manager Scott Pickler turned to Brady Frederick (Tennessee) to close it out. The Knoxville native's submarine delivery induced a weak pop-up for the final out as Y-D improved to 3-1 in its last four-season openers.
While the offense delivered timely hits, Y-D's pitching staff was equally impressive, recording 10 strikeouts and holding Harwich in check for most of the night.
“We're gonna attack the zone, we're gonna believe in ourselves, and we're going to make hitters actually hit to beat us,” Beattie said.
Y-D seeks a 2-0 start when it visits the Orleans Firebirds on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
