Bisbee's boys of summer can now claim two victories - one pretty and the other not so much
The Copper Kings semipro baseball club began their season with a pair of wins Saturday night, beating the visiting Tucson Nationals 4-1 in the opener and 9-8 in the nightcap at Warren Ballpark.
Bisbee's pitchers turned in a solid performance in the first contest, giving up only four hits in the seven-inning contest.
The Copper Kings jumped off to an early lead when second baseman Mike Mecucci and designated hitter Bret Shepard each batted in a run in the bottom of the first inning.
Tucson countered with a single run in the top of the second.
Shortstop Destry Rice widened Bisbee's lead to 3-1 by singling in right fielder Justin Wright in the third inning. First baseman Calen Pennington singled in the third inning to drive in Sheppard.
The Copper Kings pounded out a total of nine hits. Destry Rice led all Bisbee batters with three hits and an RBI in three trips to the plate. DH Bret Shepard and center fielder Sterling Shuller each went two for three.
Tyler Johnson, returning from last year's team, was credited with the win, giving up two hits and a run in two innings on the mound. Carlos Lopez, a member of the 2008 Bisbee High School state championship team allowed two hits in two innings, and Kyle Cormier, who played for Cochise College earlier this year, blanked the Nationals during the final three innings.
The second game was marked by wild pitches and fielding errors by both teams.
Bisbee scored first in the bottom of the third inning, when shortstop Destry Rice's double drove in right fielder Samuel Miller.
Tucson countered with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth off wild pitches by Dominique Davis and squeezed out a single run off another wild pitch by Davis in the top of the fifth to lead 3-2.
The Copper Kings tied the game in their half of the fifth, but the Nationals answered with a pair of runs in the sixth to take a 5-3 lead.
It looked as if Bisbee might put the game away with a five run barrage in their half of the sixth inning, but the Nationals bounced back in the eighth and ninth innings to tie the game at 8-8.
The Copper Kings ended the suspense and the game in their half of the ninth when left fielder Mike Mecucci singled, advanced on an infield hit by Destry Rice and scored on a throwing error.
The Copper Kings pitching staff gave up 11 hits and threw more than their share of wild pitches in the 9-8 squeaker.
Bret Shepard was the winning pitcher, giving up a pair of runs off one hit in two innings. Fielding errors by Bisbee contributed to Tucson's tying of the game in the top of the ninth.
Also pitching for Bisbee in the nightcap game were Calen Pennington, Dominique Davis, James Hampson and Ramon Fernandez.
Pennington began the game on the mound, allowing only a single hit in three innings of work.
Destry Rice led the Copper Kings batters in the second game, making three hits and batting in a pair of runs during his four trips to the plate.
Bisbee manager Greg Pennington was pleased with the outcome of Saturday's double header.
"I'm quite impressed. We have a very scrappy team. They never gave up when they got behind."
"Destry (Rice) had a really good day. Our defense played really well for the most part. And 80 percent of our pitching was good."
The Copper Kings will have an even stronger pitching staff as the season progresses, Pennington said.
"We are still expecting Brandon Orr to join us, as well as Steve Ivanoff and Tim Reid."
Orr, a right hander, played two years at Cochise College before moving up to Texas A & M - Corpus Christi.
Ivanoff played for Concordia University in Nebraska this year and Reed played for Pima Community College this spring.
The Copper Kings travel to Phoenix this Friday to take part in the Pacific Southwest baseball League tournament at Grand Canyon University. All four PSWBL teams - the Tucson Nationals, Mesa Garden of Gears, Casa Grande Cotton Kings and the Copper Kings - will be playing during the three-day tournament.
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