Baseball: Noah Mottet shuts out Oswego East in 7-0 Oswego victory

OSWEGO – Oswego senior pitcher Noah Mottet showcased his pitching prowess by striking out 10 batters and allowing a mere three hits in a complete-game shutout Monday, leading the Panthers to take the first of a three-game series against Oswego East, 7-0.

A slight rain delay put a hiatus to the start of the first pitch, but after 15 minutes Mottet took the mound. He struck out the side in the top half of the first, setting down seniors Christian Martyn, Will Bass and Jackson Petsche.

“Today I felt like all my pitches were working, and I felt really confident out there,” Mottet said.

The Panthers had runners on the corners in the bottom of the first, but Petsche got senior third baseman Anthony Comperda down on strikes to escape the jam.

In the top of the second, Mottet added two more strikeouts, once again keeping the basepaths quiet.

The Panthers seized a second-inning opportunity with a hit-by-pitch and a fielder’s choice, putting sophomore shortstop Kamrin Jenkins in prime position. Jenkins capitalized, doubling and trading places with the runner who scored, giving Oswego a 1-0 lead. Senior catcher Drake Dunnett then hit a blooper to shallow left field, scoring Jenkins and extending the lead to 2-0.

Through the top of the third and fourth innings, Mottet made his work look easy. Help from his defense turning a double play got him out of the third, and another two strikeouts in the fourth kept the Wolves scoreless

“He’s been great for us all year. He throws strikes and he’s effective,” Oswego coach Joe Giarrante said. “He set the tone for us from the first in, striking out the first three batters.”

More runs would cross for the Panthers. Senior first baseman Dylan King doubled in the bottom of the third to get things going. Comperda’s sacrifice fly later in the inning scored King, making it 3-0.

Three more runs were scored in the bottom of the fourth. Jenkins reached base on every at-bat with two walks and two hits, starting the fourth with a single. Junior designated hitter Easton Ruby singled, bringing in Jenkins. A sequence of errors from the Wolves allowed another Panthers run on a passed ball, and junior centerfielder Donovan Williams’s RBI fielder’s choice made it 6-0.

It wasn’t until two outs in the top of the fifth that Mottet gave up his first hit to junior first baseman Derek Kubek. Unable to score, Oswego East remained scoreless.

“I think they were trying to do too much once they got behind,” Oswego East coach Brian Schaeffer said. “So being patient, waiting for yours, looking ahead, and when we are down in the count, having that two-strike approach, shortening it up, getting the bat to the ball and putting it in play.”

More speed from Jenkins would allow him to score in the bottom of the sixth and add the seventh run.

In the end, Mottet struck out sophomore pinch hitter Devin Wheaton for the final out and got his 10th strikeout, improving the Panthers’ record to 16-11-1.

“We’re just getting right there, and with playoffs coming around, that’s where we want to be,” Jenkins said.