BY NICK ROBINSON
WICHITA, KANSAS — After falling to the Fairbanks (Alaska) Goldpanners 5-10 on Thursday, the Colorado Cyclones did what they’ve done all season while facing adversity.
Bounce back.
“The win was huge for us,” Colorado head coach J.L. Buchanan said. “We hit really well against Fairbanks. We just couldn’t pitch or field really well. I felt good about San Antonio, though. The Angels made it to the semifinals last year and are a quality team. We were ready and had great pitching – that was the difference.”
Darin Cook (4 IP, 4 K’s) led the Cyclones to an 8-0 victory, the team’s first in the 2019 National Baseball Congress World Series, over San Antonio on Saturday at Eck Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University.
“Our pitching was unreal. Darin Cook was one of the best pitchers in division two last year but hasn’t touched a baseball all summer. We didn’t know what we would get from him, and he was blasting 94 miles per hour. The guys we picked up for the World Series really helped us out.
We just settled in and cut down our walks early in the game. We didn’t give up a big inning when it got emotional. Our team is pretty good, if we get through the first two innings. It’s hard to do anything when you fall behind, like we did against Fairbanks.”
A five-run eighth inning gave the Cyclones their first victory (8-0) at the 2019 National Baseball Congress World Series from Eck Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University.
Kennedy Badgett (4-5, RBI, R) led the way offensively for Colorado.
“He (Kennedy Badgett) is a great player and can swing the bat,” Buchanan said. “He’s got us going a number of times this season. So, it wasn’t a surprise that he did it again for us.”
Gavin Gifford and Jason Ajamian combined for four RBI’s and four hits in the triumph.
“We have a very contagious team,” Buchanan said. “If we get a few guys going, everyone gets hot. That’s been fun to see, and we’ve started to understand the nerves, field conditions, and whatnot. We are starting to figure things out and if we can hit the baseball, we can beat anyone here.”
The victory against the Angels advances the Cyclones out of Pool ‘C’ and into the single elimination portion of the tournament, that starts on Thursday.
“The win put us in a very good position,” Buchanan said. “The win put us into the single elimination portion of the tournament. We would hold the tiebreaker against San Antonio.”
That doesn’t mean Buchanan and Colorado will be content, as they play the Kansas Cannons at 7pm on Monday.
“We want to keep things going with the way it’s been going,” he said. “JT Mossberg will get the start for us. He’s a change of pace type of pitcher. He will come in and do things different. We’re hoping that he will do what he has done all summer, and that’s be consistent.”
For updates and coverage of the NBC World Series, follow @milehighcbl.
