Jeff Schoenbachler showed why he's arguably the best pitcher in Northern Nevada.
The Reno left-hander scattered seven hits and fanned six, and Ryan Simpson drove in two runs to lead the Huskies to a 4-2 win over Silverado in the first round of the NIAA 4A state baseball tournament Thursday at Ron McNutt Field.
Reno moves on to face Cimarron-Memorial today at 3, while Silverado drops down to play Reed at noon in a loser's bracket game.
Schoenbachler struck out the first four batters he faced and blanked Silverado over the first five innings before allowing two sixth-inning runs.
"I just kept trying to get groundballs," said Schoenbachler, the Sierra League's Pitcher of the Year. "I got tired and had to be mentally tougher.
"A pitcher can't ask for anything more than to get an early lead. It definitely put me at ease, probably a little too much."
Schoenbachler was referring to the Huskies' offense, which produced two runs in the first, one in the second and one in the third off the Skyhawks' Dan Morris.
After John Wallace was hit by a pitch, he moved to third on a single to right and scored on Steve Mays' single. Johnson advanced to third on Mays' hit and scored on Simpson's sacrifice fly to center.
Reno made it 3-0 in the second when Proctor Hug, who reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and scored on Jake Johnson's single.
Silverado threatened in the top of the third, putting runners on first and third after singles by Chris Gloria and Michael Young. Rance Roundy hit a bullet to Garrett Mays at second, who doubled Young off at first to end the inning.
The Huskies scored their last run in the third when Mays hit a deep fly to right. The Silverado right fielder fell down on the warning track and the ball landed at the base of the fence. Mays was able to get all the way to third base and scored on a Simpson single.
"I thought offensively we had a pretty good approach the first three innings," Reno coach Pete Savage said. "Morris is a good pitcher and he got stronger as the game went on. We got complacent (later on), but you have to give Morris some of the credit."
Indeed. Morris retired eight of the last nine hitters he faced and finished with three strikeouts.
Silverado cut the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth when Roundy doubled and scored on Casey Coon's two-out double. Chad Robinson followed with a run-scoring single. Schoenbachler retired Kevin Rath to end the inning.
Reno hasn't lost since dropping a one-run decision to McQueen in its zone opener.
"That first loss woke us up," Schoenbachler said. "We realize what we have to do to win. We just can't sit back. We have to make an effort."
And, there's no questioning the Huskies' effort or desire these days.
Cimarron Memorial 1, Reed 0:
Thank goodness for Josh Felker.
Felker, Cimarron-Memorial's hard-hitting catcher, drove in the game's only run and picked off the potential tying run at second base in the seventh, and Mark Willinsky pitched a four-hitter to lead the Spartans to a hard-fought win over the Raiders.
"I didn't expect it to be 1-0," CM coach Mike Hubel said after the game. "Early in the game we had a couple of chances to score. We had no clutch hitting.
"It's huge (to win in the first round). Tomorrow (Friday) is the biggest game we'll play all year. It would be tough coming back through the loser's bracket. It's a tough thing to do."
Felker made the first of two contributions in the first inning, and Willinsky made it stand up the rest of the way with a sterling four-hit performance.
Brandon Trodick struck out to lead off the first, but reached first when the Reed catcher was unable to dig the ball out of the dirt. He moved to second on a passed ball, to third on Joel Reese's infield out and scored on Felker's single between third and short.
The game settled down into a pitcher's duel between Willinsky and Reed's Jake McGee, the High Desert Player of the Year.
McGee pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the third, getting Shaun Standart to hit into a double play. McGee went on to retire nine of the last 10 batters he faced.
Willinsky, who retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, sailed along until the sixth when Reed loaded the bases after one out on two walks and a Ryan Hill single. Willinsky retired Neil Saiz on a pop to second base and struck out Bill Erickson to end the threat.
Reed's Zach May doubled to deep to right to open the top of the seventh, and that's when Felker made his second big play.
When Britt Hastings missed a bunt attempt on the first pitch, Felker tried to pick off Mays, who barely got under the tag. Mays didn't take the hint, and Felker nailed him after the next pitch for the first out. Willinsky went on to retire the next two hitters.
"I saw him lean toward third," Felker said. "I thought he would stay closer after that (first throw down)."
"We were trying to sacrifice bunt," Reed coach Jon Foss said. "He (May) got off real aggressively, but didn't get back aggressively."
Foss said that holding May at second on his deep hit was the correct thing to do.
"You don't want to make the first or third out of an inning at third base," Foss said. "If we'd executed we would have had a runner at third and only one out."
Foss and the rest of the Raiders know they let one get away, wasting a great performance by McGee, who allowed four hits and struck out six. "It's frustrating, and our guys know it, too," Foss said. "They know Jake had a well-pitched game. Their guy threw very well for them, too."
Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1281.
