Grizzlies’ Rupp overpowers Sierra Vista

Not even a wardrobe malfunction could stop Spring Valley’s Nick Rupp on Tuesday.

Rupp blew out the laces in one of his cleats during the third inning but managed to pitch through it and finished with a one-hitter as the Grizzlies edged visiting Sierra Vista 1-0.

“I had a little malfunction with my shoe,” Rupp said. “My laces all popped and everything. After that, I just kind of manned up, got the third out.

“Then I got back in, changed my cleats and I was rolling the rest of the game.”

The junior left-hander, who has committed to UNLV, used his fastball to overpower Sierra Vista hitters all day. Rupp struck out 13 with three walks. He has allowed two earned runs and struck out 62 in 35 1/3 innings this season.

“I was nice and loose,” Rupp said. “All I had to do was stay ahead on my fastball. I didn’t really need much offspeed. But my fastball, I just relied on that, staying ahead in counts and let the rest play itself out.”

Rupp got off to a ridiculous start, striking out six of the first seven batters he faced before trouble with the shoe helped the Mountain Lions (8-12, 5-2 Division I-A Sunset League) threaten. With one out, Jhared Gonzalez dropped a double inside the right-field line for Sierra Vista’s first hit, and Rupp walked the next two to load the bases. But Rupp got Kaven Alferez to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.

“We rolled that double play and kept them out of extending that inning there, and it was big,” Spring Valley coach Paul Bassett said. “And it gave us some momentum for later in the game to get that run we got.”

Sierra Vista starter Braxton Anderson wasn’t as overpowering as Rupp, but he threw strikes and used multiple pitches to keep Spring Valley hitters off balance.

The Grizzlies (12-5, 6-1) had one hit against Anderson through the first four innings, but Humberto Maldonado, who was 2-for-2, lined a single to left to lead off the fifth.

Jonathen Bakken then singled to right, and William Reichel ran for Maldonado.

Michael White looked to sacrifice, but Anderson’s throw to first was late, loading the bases with no outs. Antony Vazquez brought home Reichel with a fly ball to center before Anderson induced a double-play grounder to end the inning.

“It was kind of obvious early that it was going to be a pitchers’ duel,” Bassett said. “So we were just trying to get one run and see what happens and put it on Nick’s shoulders.”

Anderson finished with a four-hitter, striking out five with no walks.

“Their kid was pitching very well,” Bassett said. “He was throwing three pitches for strikes, and he was commanding the outer half very well. We struggled with his breaking ball today. And he threw a great game.

“It’s unfortunate that somebody’s got to lose a game when two pitchers pitch that well. But we’re happy with the win. We’ll take it any way we can get it.”

Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at 702-380-4587 or dseiters@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DamonSeiters