Patton Fans 13 in Two-Hit Shutout of Pilots
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UPLAND, Ind. – Matt Patton turned in the best start of his career on Monday to lead RV Taylor past Bethel by a 4-0 count. The senior fanned a career-high 13 hitters and allowed only two base runners in the nine-inning victory.
Patton carried a perfect game through 4.1 innings and followed a BC (10-18, 2-10 CL) single in the fifth with another 13-consecutive outs, before a two-out single in the top of the ninth from the Pilots spoiled the one-hit bid. Patton quickly picked up the 27th out to finish the nine-inning shutout on just 104 pitches, with 13 strikeouts, no walks and only two singles allowed.
Patton did not let a runner advance to second base and saw only four balls leave the infield in the contest, while rolling up 11 ground ball outs. The complete game was Patton’s second of the season, the fifth of his career and the first nine-inning outing for the righty ace. The win improved Patton to 8-2 on the season in 11 starts, matching the number of wins Patton had earned over his first three seasons combined.
Patton improved to 2-0 in two starts over the past 11 days against Bethel, notching 21 strikeouts in 15 innings without issuing a walk or yielding a run and while allowing only one runner to reach scoring position.
The Trojans picked up the only offense they would need three batters into the game, as Wyatt Whitman opened the bottom of the first with an infield single and moved to second after Tanner Watson was hit by a pitch. Nathan Targgart plated Whitman with a single and Andrew Kennedy followed with an RBI single, as TU’s first four hitters reached safely. Taylor added a third run in the first on a double play, and Targgart drove in another in the third for the 4-0 advantage.
Targgart and Kennedy each had two hits in the contest, as the third and fourth hitters in TU’s lineup combined for four of Taylor’s six hits and knocked in three runs. Whitman, Jonathan Foster, Kyle Kelsheimer and Targgart all scored one run.
Taylor (24-9, 4-4 CL) will look to complete its suspended game at Indiana Wesleyan (22-11, 8-3 CL) on Tuesday, with action set to resume at 5:30 pm. The teams will begin play in the top of the second inning, with the score locked at 0-0.
