Northwestern State pitcher Andrew Adams has liked his time with the El Dorado Broncos, but even he’s amazed at how successful he has been after being with the team for a little more than two weeks.
The lefthander hasn’t allowed a run and only two hits in 17 innings of work so far this season for the Broncos, including recording a one-hitter Thursday night in a 3-0 victory over the Denver Cougars to open Parent’s Weekend at McDonald Stadium.
“I love the mound back here and I love the whole background,” Adams said. “I love the settings and the people around me. It makes me feel real comfortable around there. I felt good out there. I have a lot of confidence right now and I’ll just keep going out there and doing my thing.”
The Broncos lost the second game of their two-game set against Colorado teams with a 5-2 setback to the Gunnison Colts.
Adams struck out 10 and walked three in his seven innings of work. He said he was able to find his spots and keep his composure. The only hit recorded by the Cougars (22-11) was a second-inning single.
“I felt pretty good out there,” Adams said. “I had a pretty good defense behind me. I was just trying to throw strikes and keep guys off the base paths.”
The Broncos (13-11 at the end of the night) had trouble getting any hits off of Cougars’ starting pitcher Keith Rizor. Rizor allowed only three hits in 5 1/3 innings, but was the losing pitcher in the game.
El Dorado had a chance to get on the board in the first inning with runners at second and third with one out, but ended up leaving not getting runs across.
Neither team threatened to score until the bottom of the sixth when the Broncos got the first two men on base. El Dorado took the lead when Kirk Walker had a bunt single off of reliever Elisa Tuma and Brian Fisher scored when Tuma’s throw to first sailed into the outfield.
Matt Giller followed with a RBI sacrifice bunt and Tyler Smith hit a RBI single. The Broncos had a chance to score more runs, but Reese McGrew induced a double play to end the inning.
Gunnison (Colo.) 5,
El Dorado 2
The Broncos had a good chance to get on the board in the bottom of the first, but Colts’ starting pitcher Andrew Bever forced El Dorado to strand runners on first and second.
Gunnison (15-5) got on the board in the second inning after loading the bases off of new Broncos’ pitcher Cody Connors, who had arrived from Minnesota the day before.
Brian Wager induced a bases-loaded walk for the first run and Josh Demello followed with a RBI sacrifice fly.
Mike Faul pushed the Colts’ lead to 4-0 with a two-run home run in the third inning and Gunnison got its final run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Bryer Mueller. All of the runs were scored off Connors.
The Broncos scored both of the runs in the bottom of the fifth after getting the bases loaded with one out. Smith brought in a run when he was hit by a pitch and Sam Bates scored on a wild pitch.
El Dorado recorded only three hits in the loss to the Colts.
NOTE — The team from New Mexico scheduled to be here this weekend have cancelled their trip. The remainder of the Parents Weekend schedule will be the Broncos playing tonight against the Cougars; then Saturday against the Colts. There will be no game on July 4.
