BASEBALL: Tedesco dominates on mound as Claremore earns redemption win over Collinsville
COLLINSVILLE — John Tedesco may be a freshman, but Tuesday night he displayed the mental fortitude of a seasoned veteran. Just one day after striking out to end a 9-7 home loss to Collinsville, Tedesco delivered a masterclass on the mound despite going 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts at the plate, striking out 13 batters himself in a no-hit effort while navigating 5 walks across 6 shutout innings to lead Claremore to a 12-1 District 5A-3 road victory at Pat Oolpitt Field. “I just flushed it [last night’s ending], and my teammates helped me bounce back,” Tedesco said, specifically noting Arizona State commit Jax Van Valkenburg’s role in helping build his confidence.
He wasn’t alone in the redemption effort. Brayden Floyd turned in a career night, going 3-for-4 — including a double and a triple — with 5 RBIs while also closing the game on the mound. He was 1-for-4 in the Game 1 loss.
“I think the team was more high-energy, and I could feel that from our dugout,” Floyd said. “I felt more confident coming up to bat and felt like I had my team behind me. That really helped me.
” Notably, Floyd hadn’t pitched since he was 12 years old before this season, yet finished Tuesday’s game by striking out the side after a shaky start in the seventh. Claremore coach Jonathan Gelnar said Floyd has evolved into a pitcher they can rely on in high-pressure scenarios. “With our team, everybody’s a pitcher until we tell them you can’t,” Gelnar said.
“He’s a guy who’s really developed into a leader, and every time we’ve thrown him out there, he’s done really well. He’s named himself as the best closer in our district, and that’s just kind of the mindset you’ve got to have in that role. It’s going to be a pressure situation most of the time, and he’s had fun with it.
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