It was well-played, very well-pitched and almost easy to miss — it took all of one hour, 24 minutes.
John F. Kennedy’s Commanders hope their 3-0 home decision of George Washington on Wednesday will be symbolic of a quick rise in the Class 5A-4A Denver Prep League.
“We’re coming around,” Commanders coach Larry Brown said as his baseball team improved to 2-0 in the city, 4-5 overall.
It was particularly good for senior right-hander Manuel Garduno, who threw freely and worked quickly despite another day of cold conditions and breezes. Add a pesky drizzle that didn’t seem to bother him.
Garduno unleashed his repertoire of big smoke and a knuckle-curveball that continually kept George Washington (7-6, 1-1) on its heels in a four-hitter.
“I was feeling good and letting it fly,” Garduno said.
He struck out 14 Patriots, five looking, and two in each inning.
Garduno did not walk a batter until giving a pass to Nick Sather to open the seventh inning.
“Look at his thighs, all of those hills he’s running at Ruby Hill (Park) are paying off,” Brown said.
Garduno was only in trouble momentarily. He gave up a leadoff triple in the third to Black, but picked him off base, then struck out the next two hitters. Garduno also gave up two-out hits to Sather and Will Scott in the fourth, but caught Chris Burnette looking at strike three.
Offensively, Garduno also knocked in the deciding runs in the third after a two-out single by Cisco Gallegos and a double by Juan Lopez. Garduno followed with a liner to right.
Patriots starter and loser Abe Bobb, a junior and teammate of Garduno’s in summer play, surrendered only five hits, struck out eight, walked none and probably deserved a better fate.
“What can you do?” GW coach David Kelley said of his team. “A ball falls in here or there . . . but we’re competing.”
George Washington 000 000 0 — 0 4 1
John F. Kennedy 002 100 x — 3 5 1
George Washington — Bobb p 3-0-0-0, Mitchell 2b 2-0-0-0, Williams ph 1-0-0-0, Sather 2-0-1-0, Scott lf 3-0-1-0, Burnette 3b 3-0-1-0, Mares 1b 2-0-0-0, Peterson ph 1-0-0-0, Black dh 3-0-1-0, Boyd ss 2-0-0-0, Neslin rf 2-0-0-0.. Totals 24-0-4-0.
John F. Kennedy — Gallegos ss 3-1-1-0, J. Lopez cf 3-1-1-0, Garduno 3-1-1-2, Cruz cr 0-0-0-0, Hernandez c 3-0-1-0, Burgess 0-1-0-0, Espinoza lf 3-0-0-0, Montoya 1b 1-0-0-0, T. Lopez rf 2-0-1-1, Martinez 3b 2-0-0-0, Sandoval 2b 2-0-0-0. Totals 22-3-5-3.
E — Gallegos, Burnette. LOB — George Washington 3, John F. Kennedy 2. CS — Scott, Cruz. 2B — J. Lopez, Garduno, Sather, T. Lopez. 3B — Black.
Batteries — Bobb and Lutomski; Garduno and Hernandez. W — Garduno (3-1). L — Bobb (2-3).
T — 1:24.
