High School Winter Sports

Kennedy High’s Scott Roth has spent the season with a mask on, catching baseballs thrown toward home by his teammates. That experience apparently has taught him something about what it takes to win ballgames from the pitcher’s mound.

In other words, throwing out baserunners is great, but blowing out batters is even better. All Roth wanted was a chance, and Thursday, he got it.

Making his first pitching appearance of the season, Roth pitched six innings, allowed three hits and earned a win in Kennedy’s 4-3 victory over Clark of Las Vegas in the second of two games in the 32-team Chaparral tournament in Las Vegas.

Roth, who struck six and walked one, also walked, doubled and drove in a run.

And when Roth faltered in the seventh, Kennedy used another Roth to finish off Clark.

Roth was relieved by his twin Brian, who earned his second save of the season. Brian normally plays first base and often doubles in a relief role. Both are 5-foot, 10-inch, 170-pound seniors.

“It was a pretty good day for the twins,” Kennedy Coach Dick Whitney said. “They had a couple of big hits and they really kept us in the second game.

“They did a good job of coming through when we needed it.”

Mike Murray and Mike Schlesinger doubled for Kennedy (5-6), which scored a run in the second and three in the third.

Kennedy dropped the first game, 6-5, to Bonanza of Las Vegas. Senior left-hander Colin Hines (3-3) took the loss, allowing nine hits in six innings.

The Golden Cougars rallied in the fifth from a 4-1 deficit to take a 5-4 lead before Bonanza scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth off Hines. Scott Roth, Arnie Aguinaga, Danny Gugler and Craig Fleck each had doubles for Kennedy.

The Golden Cougars play the tournament’s top-seeded team, Valley of Las Vegas, at 10 this morning. Kennedy plays Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas at 1 p.m.

Junior shortstop Gino Tagliaferri, a Times All-Valley selection last season, was injured in the first game when a pickoff throw from Hines struck him in the right eye. Tagliaferri did not play against Clark and may miss the remainder of the tournament, Whitney said.