Branson (4-3) senior pitcher Chad Reusch made a statement on the mound against host Parkview (2-4) on Tuesday as the poised flamethrower kept the Vikings' bats deafly silent to lead the charge in a 6-0 Pirates victory.
On a day when a swirling Ozarks wind was doing its best to wreak havoc for both squads on the diamond, everything seemed to come easy for Reusch, who utilized a fastball that reached speeds in the upper 80s to allow just two hits and strike out nine over six innings of masterful work.
“I thought he was around the zone all day long and his fastball was working today,” Parkview head coach John Thompson said of Reusch following the loss. “Our guys failed to make the adjustment, but credit him. He did a great job throwing strikes and keeping us off balance when he needed to.”
Seeing his time primarily spent in the closer role during his sophomore and junior seasons, Reusch made the swift adjustment to becoming a starter after head coach Troy Nimmo noticed an invaluable ability attained by his hurler in the offseason.
He was throwing hard – and throwing strikes.
“That's when I told him 'We've got to turn you into a starter,'” Nimmo said. “Any time you've got a kid in high school throwing with that type of velocity and you're getting it in the [strike] zone, you're going to get a lot of outs.”
The combination of pitch speed and location on Tuesday paid dividends for Reusch as eight of his first nine outs came via the K. He also yielded just a pair of walks in the contest.
In the top of the fourth, Parkview provided some additional help for Reusch and the Pirates when three consecutive fielding errors with one out led to three runs for Branson – extending the Pirates lead to 5-0.
“Early on, we are focused on improving in the field,” said Thompson. “Our Achilles' heel is giving extra baserunners and giving extra runs, and that's kind of what showed up today a little bit. I was proud of the way that we competed, but we've got to get better in that respect.”
After an RBI single by second baseman Dawson Nimmo in the top of the fifth put Branson up by six and pushed the game further out of reach, the question of what to do with Reusch for the final inning became clear.
Coach Nimmo elected to pull Reusch in favor of Bryce Burtless, who entered the season as the team's pitching ace, but has been primarily manning first base while recovering from injury.
Burtless recorded the final three outs with ease – striking out senior second baseman Riley Rathbun to end the game.
“I felt good, but once they took me out, I was fine with it,” added Reusch when asked about the
decision to bring in Burtless for the final frame. “It would have been awesome to finish it, but I'm glad that Bryce came in and finished it himself.”
Branson faces Joplin on the road next Tuesday, while Parkview gets ready for Sedalia Smith-Cotton in the annual Springfield Red and Blue Classic on Thursday.
