Photo by Jake Olson: Martin County West pitcher Colsan Anderson tosses the ball during his first inning on the mound against Nicollet on Friday afternoon.

WELCOME – Martin County West’s Friday afternoon victory over Nicollet came at the hands of two freshmen. Kade Fennern held onto MCW’s one-run lead and wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning. In return, Kaleb Kennedy gave his team plenty of insurance in the bottom half of the frame, roping a two-RBI rocket to third base in hopes of separating from a pesky Raider comeback.

It wasn’t always pretty, but Maverick head coach Jon Traetow was pleased to see his team execute in a late-game situation and manufacture a 10-6 victory at Fox Lake Area Sports Complex. This win snaps a three-game losing streak and bumps MCW to 2-5 on the season.

“We needed this one in the worst way,” Traetow said. “We’ve been on a bit of a skid right now, so it was really good to see us finally tie some things together and execute on the right side of things. … Yeah, we let them linger around a little bit, but we also need to learn how to finish a game, too. It was a good day.”

Maverick starting pitcher Colsan Anderson had one of his sharpest outings of the season. On top of pounding the zone with a constant flurry of strikes, the sophomore gave MCW four innings of work while fanning six batters. Both of his runs allowed came unearned.

He struck out two more batters in his fourth and final frame after taking on the middle of Nicollet’s batting order. The MCW offense gave Anderson plenty of run support during this stretch, scoring seven runs off smart maneuvers on the base paths and an RBI triple from Preston Cepress in the first inning.

“His fastball has so much run, and his slider has so much break, that sometimes he has a tough time finding the zone,” Traetow said of Anderson. “Today, he was really able to hone everything in. Yeah, he did start a couple of batters with 1-0 or 2-0 counts, but he was able to battle back.”

The Raiders made one more vault at a comeback during the sixth inning. After filling the bases with runners, Traetow made the decision to pull Michael McCorkell for the likes of Fennern, hoping the powerful arm could escape the damage.

Fennern did just that. After striking out his second batter faced, the Maverick defense aided in the effort to get out of the inning. Shortstop Easton Kuehl secured the final play up the middle. While the Raiders tacked on one run via a passed ball, MCW clung to a 7-6 advantage, thanks to the abilities of Fennern.

“Watching him come in and pitch like that, in that situation as a freshman, that speaks volumes to his composure,” Traetow said. “If you just look at the guy, he’s not afraid of anything.”

Consecutive walks and a bunt single from Fennern set the table for Kennedy at the plate, who was substituted into the lineup permanently following Anderson’s departure from the mound. The right-hander slashed a scorcher down the left side of the infield that proved too hot for the third baseman to handle. Traetow sent both Liam Pytletski and McCorkell home to extend the team’s lead.

While Kuehl tacked on one more run after his sacrifice flyout to left field, Kennedy’s game-defining plate appearance proved to be one of the biggest difference makers in the Maverick victory.

“I’m super proud of my freshman Kaleb Kennedy,” Traetow said. “We made the position switch when Colsan [Anderson] came out of the game. …To get that big, clutch hit with the bases loaded, I couldn’t be happier for the kid. He was all smiles after.”

MCW will look to keep momentum strong next Monday against Granada Huntley East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther. First pitch at Fox Lake Area Sports Complex is set to start at 4:30 p.m. The Jaguars are 1-5 on the season.