Berwick's rally falls short against Curtis

Berwick’s rally against John Curtis, Class 3A’s top-ranked team, fell short in the final two innings as the Panthers fell 10-7.
Curtis pitcher Kyle Burns kept Berwick’s hitters off balance for six innings to pick up the win. He struck out six and allowed five runs.
“Kyle did a great job on the mound for us today, but we didn’t do anything defensively to support him,” John Curtis head coach Johnny Curtis said. “I thought we had opportunities in the game with runners in scoring position to put the game away and we didn’t, so that’s two things we need to work on before we hit the playoffs. Berwick is a playoff team and they are gonna continue to get better, so we have to do the same.”
Curtis went to Nick Watson, usually a starting pitcher, in relief to close out the game with a 10-5 lead.
Berwick’s Andrew Askew reached on an error and designated hitter D.J. Robicheaux singled to score Askew.
Cameron Wiley followed with an RBI-triple to cut the Curtis lead to 10-7 with just one out.
But Watson got a big strikeout of Tanner Caldwell before Cody Roberie lined out to end the game.
“I thought we did a good job offensively and defensively,” Berwick head coach Mike Thomas said. “But our pitching let us down. We didn’t consistently throw strikes.”
Berwick allowed 14 Curtis baserunners to get on via 12 walks and two hit batters.
“They scored 10 runs, and every single one of them was on a walk or hit batter,” Thomas said.
Berwick’s Cameron Wiley suffered the loss for Berwick.
In 2.1 innings, he surrendered five earned runs on six hits with three walks, one hit batter and one strikeout.
“Our pitching has been a strength all season,” Thomas said. “But if our pitchers throw strikes tonight, that’s a different score.”
Berwick used four relievers during the game.
Myles Washington went 2-for-3 for Curtis with a run and two RBIs while Kody Shexnayder was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Offensively, Brandon Fryou led Berwick with a 2-for-4 performance with two doubles and three RBIs, while Neal Theriot Jr. was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Other top offensive contributors for the Panthers included Wiley, 1-for-2, a triple and an RBI; and D.J. Robicheaux and Bradley Gray, each 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Curtis (13-3) will host Karr for a doubleheader Saturday while Berwick (15-7) will host Morgan City Thursday. Junior varsity action between the Tigers and the Panthers will begin at 4 p.m., while varsity will follow at 6 p.m.
Additional reporting by www.nola.com.