DERBY, KAN. - Newton is used to being the underdog. It has been the underdog week after week, game after game. Now it is starting to prove itself. After getting pounced on in the opening game in Derby, 8-1, the Railers bounced back for an 11-9 win that went down to the wire.
Newton (5-1) struggled at the plate in the opening game, as it only notched four hits. That, in part, was due to Derby (3-3) starter Nick Watson, who pitched six shutout innings before heading to the bench.
In his last outing, Watson pitched just one-third of an inning and allowed four runs, which led to a Derby loss. This time on the mound, he felt he had more control.
“I stayed focused and I kept throwing the ball where I wanted it to go,” the junior said after his first start of the season. ”I told myself that I could do it, and it’s not that hard. … I always tell myself it’s easy, and that makes it easy for myself.”
After the defeat in the opening game, the Railers needed to refocus.
“I wanted them to use (the first game) as motivation,” Newton coach Mark George said. “We always talk about it - flushing failure - and just moving on with the next pitch. But I didn’t want that to be flushed, because we played very poorly.”
In the second game, the team chemistry revealed itself right when the Railers needed it most. After taking a 3-1 lead in the first four innings, Newton gave up four runs and the lead in the fifth inning when starting pitcher Garrett Davis went to the mound on pitch count.
But Newton continued to fight back, with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth. At the end of six, Derby was up 9-7 after stringing together another four-run inning with three extra-base hits.
That’s when Newton pounced on the Panthers’ relief effort. The Panthers notched two outs on three batters to start the top of the seventh, but the Railers strung together three hits and a walk on their way to taking a 11-9 lead that stood up for the victory.
“Things were not looking good for us, and we were not necessarily playing our best baseball. We just gave up the lead with a home run, a triple, and a double in the sixth inning,” George said. “They weren’t feeling very good, but they just bounced back. I can’t really explain it. It was just sheer resolve.”
Although the Railers have been coming into games as underdogs, it might not last for long. Now 5-1, the Railers look to be a legit contenders this season if they can find some consistency in their play.
“We come in thinking, and knowing, that we’re the underdogs. We’re just trying to prove to people that we’re more than just an underdog,” Railers shortstop Gunnar Drinnen said. “We’re going to be a solid team, we have a lot of potential. We’re looking forward to the end of this season.”
