Y-D came out on top Thursday night over Orleans, 5-3, with stellar pitching from starter Micah Bucknam and closer Trevor Moore. The two combined for 13 strikeouts across seven innings, setting the tone for the Red Sox defense.
LSU’s Bucknam started the game on the mound for Y-D in Orleans. In his first start for Y-D, the right-hander pitched four innings and struck out an impressive eight out of the 15 batters he faced — recording a new career high for strikeouts.
Bucknam said he felt like everything came together well on the mound Thursday. He added that it is important to mix pitches and determine which ones you can consistently throw for strikes during the game.
“We talk about it a lot at school—if you throw three pitches for strikes you are going to have a lot of success,” Bucknam said. “In the game, I realized early on that I could throw a changeup, fastball and slider for strikes. My slider was working well, and if you have a good slider, the other types of pitches don’t have to be perfect, because at the end of the day, you’ll get guys swinging and you can keep them on their toes.”
Another strategy Bucknam uses on the mound is making slight adjustments in the moment. He said that while it can sometimes be hard to make adjustments during the game, little mental notes and movements can help.
“In the game, I was starting to pull off and make my fastball cut,” Bucknam said. “So I made a mental note to tuck my glove a little bit more and get on top of the ball. Another adjustment I like to make is a sight line fix. I find it’s better to fix one small thing rather than trying to fix a thousand things at once.”
Stanford’s Moore has begun to solidify himself as Y-D’s closer. He currently leads the Cape League in saves with four and on Thursday, he notched five strikeouts across three innings to maintain Y-D’s lead in the game.
The right-handed pitcher came in to pitch at the bottom of the seventh as the Firebirds loaded the bases and tied the game. Despite the high-pressure situation, Moore stayed confident on the mound and struck two batters out to close the inning.
“It felt awesome to get out of that,” Moore said. “It’s all about doing my job and doing what I can to help my team out.”
This is not the first high-pressure situation Moore has found himself in this season. As the league leader in saves, he often comes into the game with the odds stacked against him. He said it is important for him in these situations to relax out there and not get too caught up in the moment.
“It was something I learned in between my freshman and sophomore year,” Moore said. “For me, it’s all about making sure I have something after the game that I can look forward to, whether it be watching a show or hanging out with friends. With this, I can trick myself into thinking that this moment on the mound is not the end-all be-all of my day.”
Moore said the Y-D bullpen is full of support, adding that this is one of his favorites that he’s been in so far.
“I love the energy in there and we have a great staff,” Moore said. “This is the Cape League and there are a lot of heavy hitters down here, so I am here to work with my coaches and go after hitters.”
