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The senior pitched eight scoreless innings, leading Cotter High School’s baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of visiting Hayfield.
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Cotter senior David Miller delivers a pitch during the Ramblers' first game of a Hiawatha Valley League doubleheader against Hayfield Tuesday in Winona. (Photo by Andrew Link/Winona Daily News) |
Miller tossed a complete-game shutout in the opener — a 1-0 Cotter win — and pitched the final frame of the Ramblers’ 11-7 victory in the nightcap.
The sweep extended Cotter’s winning streak — its first of the season — to five games, and Miller’s effort was the latest in a string of great pitching performances.
Jordan Ossefoort struck out eight and went the distance in Cotter’s 2-0 win over Triton, and Matt Wolfe allowed just one run in an 8-1 win over Kasson-Mantorville on Monday.
Still, Miller had to wait until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Kyle Florin delivered a walk-off RBI single, to get the win.
“Jordan pitched awesome yesterday, and I just wanted to come in and throw strikes,” Miller said. “You can’t ask for better defense, and Kyle got the hit in the end. It all worked out for us.”
Miller allowed a lead-off triple in the top of the sixth but struck out the next batter. With the infield in, he got the next batter to ground to third. Tommy Mullen fielded the high hop and threw out the runner trying to score from third.
In the bottom of the seventh, Joe Coron reached on a one-out error and advanced to second on a groundout.
Florin, a pinch-hitter, ripped a two-out single down the left-field line two pitches later for the walk-off win.
“He’s been hitting pretty well — had three hits against La Crescent (on Friday),” Cotter coach Mat O’Brien said, referring to Florin. “He’s a tough kid, he battles, and I felt good about him up there.”
Miller scattered six hits, struck out four and outdueled Hayfield’s MacEagon Voyce, who allowed just three hits and four runners to reach scoring position in the opener, which was dominated by phenomenal pitching and solid defense.
The nightcap, which featured a combined 19 runs, seven unearned runs, 15 hits, seven pitchers and six errors, was just the opposite.
The Ramblers scored four runs — one earned — in the first inning but trailed 6-4 after two.
Hayfield took a 7-5 lead into the fifth, but the Ramblers tied it in the bottom of the frame on a run scored on a wild pitch and another on a groundout.
Andy Wolfe hit a one-out double in the sixth inning and later scored on a two-out error for the winning run.
Cotter added three more in the top of the seventh, and Miller shut the door in the bottom of the frame.
“Everyone has confidence at the plate, and we’re all starting to hit the ball,” Miller said. “I’m feeling good, and the team’s feeling good.”
Andy Wolfe went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and four runs scored, and Joe Coron added two doubles for Cotter, which got runs scored from eight different players.
