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Senior outfielder Keegan Vercoe hit a fifth-inning grand slam, providing starting pitcher Aaron Kern with far more run support than he needed in the Broncos’ 9 – 2 win over Douglas last Thursday.
Kern, who was named Player of the Game, earned the complete-game win after allowing only five hits and two runs, both unearned. He finished with nine strikeouts and issued only one walk. The senior right-hander kept the Bulldogs’ lineup at bay until Vercoe, an Azusa Pacific University commit, and the rest of the Broncos’ lineup exploded for six fifth-inning runs, breaking a 1 – 1 tie.
“Aaron went out there and competed,” Poston Butte head coach Chris Holcombe said after the game. “We really liked how he pounded the (strike) zone and stayed consistent with throwing strikes. I think he only walked one guy the whole game. Anytime you throw strikes you’re going to be successful.”
Poston Butte scored its first run on an error to take a 1 – 0 lead in the third before Douglas got the run back in their half of the fourth. Freshman Cameron Vercoe broke the tie with an RBI-base hit in the bottom of the fifth with another run scoring on an error to make it 3 – 1. The Broncos followed those two runs by loading the bases, setting up Keegan Vercoe’s blast.
“It was the third time through the lineup for our guys,” said Holcombe, accounting for the big fifth inning. “Our guys had seen all of the (Douglas starter’s) pitches and knew what he had, what he didn’t have, and were able to key in on certain pitches. They did a good job of being patient, getting good pitches to hit, and taking advantage when he left pitches over the middle of the plate.”
The Broncos’ closed out the scoring in the bottom of the sixth, adding two more runs on RBI hits by Cameron Vercoe and Dylan Vanderlip.
Upcoming schedule: Mar. 14 at Northwest Christian (3:45 p.m.), Mar. 15 at Flowing Wells (4 p.m.), and Mar. 22 vs. Casa Grande (3:45 p.m.).
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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