FARMINGTON — Brewer pitcher Evan Riva knew he would be facing a tough Mt. Blue lineup Monday afternoon at Hippach Field.
Featuring a quick fastball, along with a devastating curve and changeup, Riva powered the Witches to their eighth baseball win of the season, hurling a complete game two-hitter and giving Brewer 6-0 victory.
It was the eighth complete game in the last nine outings for Brewer’s pitching staff, helping the Witches (8-3) keep pace with the top teams in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference.
“My curve and changeup were working today,” Riva said. “We knew Mt. Blue was a very good team, and it was a big game for us.”
Riva retired the first, 13 batters he faced finishing the game with eight strikeouts, no walks and did not allow a hit until the fifth inning, when Mt. Blue’s Anthony Franchetti drilled a line drive single to left to break up the no-hit bid.
Defensively, Riva received considerable help, especially from second baseman Kobe Rogerson, who made a pair of spectacular diving catches in the fourth inning.
“Our defense has been picking me up all the time,” Riva said. “Their always making the plays behind me.”
Brewer jumped on Mt. Blue (5-6) starter Colton Lawrence in the first inning for two runs on three hits. Back-to-back RBI singles from Michael Grimble and Alex Brooks paved the way for an early 2-0 lead.
“We usually struggle down here and the kids were aware of it,” Brewer coach Dana Corey said. “We tried to keep the kids thinking and keep it simple,”
Lawrence gained control of the game in the second inning, striking out the side, but the Witches were back at it in the third, loading the bases with one out. Riva surprised a drawn-in Mt. Blue infield with a sacrifice bunt to the left side of the mound that scored Matt Pushard from third for a 3-0 lead.
With Riva on top of his game, the Witches put the game out of reach in the fourth inning when Jacob Currier opened hitting a ground ball single through the hole at shortstop. Kobe Rogerson bunted Currier to third, followed by a powerful double to right center by Logan Rogerson for a 4-0 advantage.
Franchetti picked up the second hit of the game off Riva, reaching on an infield ground ball in the seventh, to finish with both Cougar hits.
“We just seemed to be off today,” Mt. Blue coach Christian Boileau said. “We need to do the little things, the fundamentals, correctly if we are going to play with good teams like Brewer.”
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