Pitcher Bobby Nairn nearly throws no-hitter in 10-0 win
By: Kyle Moylan
Bobby Nairn may have lost his no-hitter in the third inning, but it still turned out to be a good frame for the East Windsor ace hurler.
Nairn allowed a leadoff single to Taylor Smith in the last of the third. Before Nairn took the mound, however, he had already come through with two hits in the top of the inning as East Windsor pushed across nine runs in what ended up being a 10-0 win over Washington in the District 12 Little League Tournament for 12-year-olds.
"Bobby was on his game," East Windsor manager Dean Boyer noted after his team stayed alive in the losers’ bracket with a home win on Saturday. "He had a fastball and a change that went for strikes. If he has them looking fastball, that change will get them out. You want your pitchers with two strikes that he trusts."
Nairn only allowed three batters to reach all game. He hit a batter with two outs in the first. He allowed the leadoff single in the third. Washington also had a runner reach on an error with one out in the fourth. East Windsor catcher Jeff Scott threw out that runner trying to steal.
Nairn got the only run he would need in the second. Luke Kiensiecki doubled with one out and scored on a double by Andre Gary.
East Windsor picked up its second run quickly in the third when Curtis Schickner led off with a homer to right center.
"That was my first home run," Schickner said. "I didn’t even know it was out until the umpire said it was. I’ve never even hit one in practice. I hit the top of the double deck fence in left, but I never got one out."
Schickner wasn’t done in the third, though. He would later add a two-run double.
"It was a little strange to come up twice in one inning," Schickner noted.
That would’ve been cool to hit two homers in an inning, especially with the bases loaded. I never go up looking to hit a homer, though."
Schickner was one of three East Windsor players to get two hits in the third. Cody Boyer and Bobby Nairn also pulled that trick.
Boyer singled after Schickner’s homer. Boyer then scored on a double by Nairn, who plated the fourth run on a single by Sarafin. Following the first out, Sarafin scored on a hit by Luke Kiensiecki. After Andre Gary was hit by a pitch, Brad Carduner also came through with a run-scoring hit.
Bryson Downham was hit by a pitch to load the bases, bringing Schickner to the plate again. Schickner scored two runs with a double. With Boyer batting for the second time in the inning, Gary scored on a wild pitch. Boyer then capped the rally with a run-scoring single.
Hightstown’s bats were quieted by Nottingham in the opening game of the double-elimination tournament. In the following two games, East Windsor combined to score 26 runs.
"We think we can beat anyone," Nairn said. "Nottingham usually has a good team, so some people were nervous. I knew we could fight back."
Dean Boyer was also convinced his team would rebound from the opening setback.
"We were nervous at Nottingham," Boyer said. "That’s behind us. The past two games you’ve seen the team we have."
Following the loss to Nottingham, East Windsor needed to win eight games in a span of 12 days to win the District 12 title. It has already put up two of those wins in the past three days. And if Curtis Schickner, Cody Boyer and Bobby Nairn continue to get a chance to bat twice in one inning, more wins are sure to follow. Come to think of it, if Nairn and Boyer just pitch the way they are capable of, East Windsor doesn’t need to bat around in an inning to win games.
It doesn’t matter if Nairn is getting two hits in an inning or allowing just one hit in a game, the both add up to the same thing — an East Windsor win.