Flashy offense was not part of the Burrell Bucs' plan. They just needed to put the ball in play effectively and execute three times to support their starting pitcher.
Stevie Hasson's outstanding performance on the mound and timely small plays helped the Bucs win against Freeport, 3-1, on Tuesday at Freeport Community Park.
Hasson, a junior left-hander, and Freeport’s Mathhew Corfield engaged in a pitchers' duel, both pitching complete games.
Hasson threw three hits and struck out six.
Burrell coach Jay Miller praised Stevie Hasson's pitching, saying he threw nothing but strikes, which was exactly what they needed.
As the first-year coach noted, Hasson was proactive in getting ahead of batters, which allowed him to settle in as he threw 65 strikes on 98 pitches.
Hasson said, “I was able to get ahead in counts real well, which puts me into a comfortable situation to throw more strikes and get ahead and limit my walks, which ultimately helped me help us win the game.”
With Hasson finding his groove, his offense broke through in the second inning.
Justin Hyland worked a walk and advanced to third after an errant throw into center. Then, Trey Coury put down a clean suicide squeeze, allowing Hyland to score and Coury to get on at first.
That's exactly how the Bucs (3-4, 2-3) wanted to play against the Yellowjackets (1-5, 1-4).
“We know small ball is a great way for us to succeed. We have some good speed on the bases, and we can take advantage of that,” Miller said.
On the defensive side, the throwing error to set up Hyland on third base was one of three on the day for the Yellowjackets.
“It's not an excuse,” Freeport coach Ed Carr said. “We have a lot of young guys on the field. It's something we practice every day on the field. We need to calm down and think about what you're going to do when the ball's bunted and the ball's put it into play.”
In the top of the fourth, Coury brought home Hyland for an RBI double and a 2-0 Bucs lead.
Small ball was back in effect in the top of the fifth as the Bucs used the strategy to bring in their third run.
Dylan McKallip placed a bunt up the first-base line to put runners on first and second. AJ McLafferty advanced the runners with another bunt. Adam Wass's sacrifice fly brought in Isaac Lacinski to make it 3-0 Bucs.
“We have to take those situations when we can. Make sure we get the bat on the ball with two strikes, and you saw that with the pop fly out in right field,” Miller said.
The Yellowjackets finally scored in the bottom of the fifth as Gavin Tola reached on an error and Dustin Kohan knocked a single to bring Tola in from second.
Carr said that Kohan didn't give up in his second at-bat, even when the count got deep and he changed his approach at the plate to battle.
Hasson continued to shut down Freeport, even after they scored in the fifth.
Carr praised the pitcher's precise command and the ability to throw exactly where he wanted, even though the team adjusted later in the game.
Corfield, from Freeport, allowed six hits and two earned runs while striking out three.
