Nick Grimbilas was just hoping for a solid start on the mound: Throw some strikes, get a feel for his pitches and set a foundation to build on for the rest of the season.
But rather than easing into Thursday’s home opener for the Bishop Brady baseball team, Grimbilas came out firing.
The senior tossed a complete game, striking out 11 Berlin batters on the way to a season-opening 5-1 win over the Mountaineers in Concord.
“Nick pitched a great game today and we played solid defense behind him,” Bishop Brady coach Skip Foy said.
Grimbilas allowed just the one run, surrendering two hits and a pair of walks along the way, but was nearly untouchable with double-digit strikeouts.
While Grimbilas was dealing on the mound, sophomore Jake Blake was dealing damage at the plate.
With the Giants clinging to a one-run lead in the third inning, Blake dug in for an at-bat with the two outs and the bases loaded and cleared them with a three-run double to deep center field.
“Jake had the big two-out hit with the bases loaded to give us some breathing room,” Foy said.
Bishop Brady (1-0) is scheduled to visit Hillsboro-Deering on Friday.
Berlin 6, Bishop Brady 1
Key players: Berlin – Sam McCann (7 IP, 3K, win; 2-for-4, double) Bishop Brady – Jayden Johnson (2 hits), Hannah Hicks (hit, RBI), Halle Laramie (hit, run, stolen base), Ami Rivera (hit)
Highlights: Defensively, Isabella Rivera had seven put outs including an outstanding all-out diving catch from shortstop in short left field.
Coach’s quote: “McCann was tough on us today. We put the ball in play but Berlin made all the plays in the field. We were not sharp in the field and failed to execute plays and advance runners.” – Brady’s Freddy Rivera
Records: Berlin 1-0; Bishop Brady 0-1
ConVal 7, Coe-Brown 2
Key players: Coe Brown – Dawson Green (8-6 win), Aidan Perra and Nick Principato (8-2 win in doubles)
Records: Conval 2-2; Coe Brown 1-3
Bow 19, Trinity 3
Records: Bow 2-0; Trinity 0-0