Rob Baker | For the Daily Journal
Bryce Turner didn’t get the start Friday night. Just the finish.
Indian Creek’s senior right-hander entered the game three batters in and dominated the rest of the way as the Braves downed Greenwood Christian, 9-1, in a Johnson County tournament game at Greenwood.
Turner struck out 16 to help put his squad (2-0) in today’s 1 p.m. semifinal against host Center Grove.
The Cougars scored their lone run in the top of the opening inning, making good on Braves junior pitcher Daylin Bohall walking the first three batters and tossing a wild pitch. Bohall was replaced by Turner, who allowed a run-scoring single from junior Eli Jackson but then proceeded to strike out three consecutive batters.
It was a sign of things to come.
“We kind of told him before the game to be ready. He was next in line,” second-year Indian Creek coach Greg Taylor said. “We work on working ahead in the count, and he did that very well today. He was very efficient and threw a lot of strikes.
“Bryce typically doesn’t start much. He usually comes in in relief. Bryce is just a competitor. He doesn’t get rattled a lot.”
The Cougars (1-1) took the field minus the services of their five seniors, every one of them a starter, due to a class trip. First-year GCA coach Ryan Hurley liked the grit his team showed in staying tied with Indian Creek through the first three innings.
“We focus on process over outcome, so yeah, we want to win, but we dig into the routine,” Hurley said. “There were many variables out here tonight. Weather. Lights. Wet. Missing our leaders. But we come to fight.
“Preston (Van Til) pitched phenomenal tonight, Brandt (Kieninger) coming in to relieve him. We just couldn’t get the bats going.”
Indian Creek scored its first run in its half of the first frame, starting with Turner’s leadoff double to left field. He advanced to third base on Carter Modlin’s groundout and came home when Talan Steinway delivered a sacrifice fly to left.
The Braves tacked on two more runs in the fourth with junior Nolan Harden reaching first on an error and moving to second on a wild pitch. A GCA fielding error brought both runs across.
A bloop single to short left center by senior Carter Modlin got Indian Creek rolling in the fifth inning; he then stole second and came home on a single to right by senior Blayden Mann. A triple to deep center courtesy of Harden made it a 5-1 game, and the Braves scored again on a wild pitch.
Modlin opened the seventh inning with a solo home run over the fence in left center. GCA then walked home a runner and was guilty of a wild pitch for the final run.
More than enough offensive support for Turner.
“Really, I just came in, did my job and tried to throw as many strikes as I possibly could,” Turner said. “I came out and had fun with it, too. I didn’t put too much pressure on myself when the bases were loaded.
“I knew what I had to do and just threw strikes. (Taylor) said just pound the zone with strikes, because we have a good enough defense that if they hit the ball, we’ll make the play.”
