Nathan Rosenberger stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning with the bases loaded and no outs.
was trailing two runs before Rosenberger came to the plate.
He changed that.
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Rosenberger hit a line-drive double down the right field line to score two to tie the game.
Pitcher Matt Slayer followed by sacrifice bunting in a run to give the Royals the 7-6 lead. Nate Rogers’s infield single increased CVCA’s lead to 8-6, and closed Indian Valley out in the ninth for the win.
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“It’s great for our confidence,” CVCA coach Kevin Gross said. “We’re a young team. To really begin to believe how if you keep working, you show up and you’re there, it does pay off.”
While CVCA’s (9-7, 6-3) offense excelled in the later innings, Slayer did the same.
After allowing three runs in the first inning, Slayer’s command of the strike zone improved. The right-handed pitcher finished the game allowing six runs on six hits.
“He has a tough first inning and battling through that, and not giving up,” Gross said. “That gave us a chance to get through it.”
While the Braves were effective offensively, it was the team’s base running that slowed them down.
The Royals caught several Indian Valley base runners in “run down” situations. Five Braves’ runners were picked off, which hindered their offense down the stretch.
“Like I told these guys here, none of them enjoy working on run-downs in the gym on a rainy day, but it pays off,” Gross said. “We’ve been talking all year about the little details that it takes.”