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Saturday, April 19, 2008
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Warriors' Branum tosses complete game HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL Sports Editor Back-to-back, three-hit, complete-game shutouts.
You won't hear Brainerd Warriors baseball coach Lowell Scearcy finding any fault with that.
On Thursday, Brainerd's Trevor Thompson blanked Sartell 1-0 on three hits.
Friday, it was left-hander Ethan Branum's turn to pitch a three-hit complete game, a 5-0 victory over the Fergus Falls Otters at Adamson Field. He retired the last eight batters and set down the side in order three times.
"I felt really good actually," Branum said after pitching Brainerd's third shutout in four games this season. "I had a little arm soreness for a while but I've been icing it, heating it and treating it, and it paid off today."
Branum allowed two singles in the third and one in the fifth, mixing his fastball, curve and changeup.
"I was throwing everything for a while," he said, "then I figured out they couldn't hit my fastball so I pretty much threw that for the rest of the game."
Branum threw 107 pitches, 73 strikes. He threw the first pitch for a strike to 18 of 27 Otters.
"He went further than we expected him to," Scearcy said. "I think he threw in the low (100s) for pitches. We were going to take him out in the last inning and decided let's let him go and see what he does with the first guy. He had slowed down, but was throwing strikes better than he had early in the game.
"The key to the whole thing will be Saturday and the next day, what he does with his arm. We're going to practice Saturday, even though it's prom day we'll get it done early, but Ethan won't be doing any throwing."
Brainerd catcher Nate Smolke drove in three runs. His two-out, two-run triple in the third put the Warriors ahead 2-0. His sacrifice fly two innings later put Brainerd ahead 3-0.
Warriors 5, Fergus Falls 0
The key: Ethan Branum pitched a three-hit complete-game shutout.
Conference: Brd 3-0, FF 0-1
Overall: Brd 4-0, FF 0-1
Next: Brainerd at Moorhead 5 p.m. Monday.
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Otters left-hander Jake Heck pitched admirably for five innings, giving up no earned runs with four strikeouts and two walks in Fergus Falls' opener. Kyle Crocker and Nick Rardin had RBI singles in the sixth off right-handed reliever Joe Anderson.
"We got a couple key hits," Scearcy said, "a big key hit out of Smolke. Then we kind of jumped on the right-hander when he came in.
"The left-hander had us off-balance. We need some more left-handers throwing batting practice. Ethan doesn't throw batting practice. I guess we've got to get coach (Keith) Peterson out there on the mound, or any alumni that are left-handed, give me a call."
Brainerd plays four games next week - at Moorhead on Monday, St. Cloud Tech at home Tuesday, at Rocori on Thursday and Willmar at home Saturday.
"Hopefully we'll get those in," Scearcy said. "This was a makeup game and Monday is a makeup game. If we get those two made up we're almost back on track."
Fergus Falls 000 000 0 - 0 3 4
Brainerd 002 012 x - 5 5 0
FF: Jake Heck, Joe Anderson (6) and Matt Mithaugen.
Brd: Ethan Branum and Nate Smolke.
W: Branum (1-0). L: Heck.
3B: Brd-Smolke.
SB: Brd-Tyler Jensen, Travis Whirley, Kyle Crocker.
Sac: Brd-Smolke. FF-Kris Anderson
RBIs: Brd-Smolke 3, Crocker, Nick Rardin.
LOB: Brd 7, FF 6.
MIKE BIALKA may be reached at mike.bialka@brainerddispatch.com and at 855-5861.
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