Lefty Ethan Bradford leaves hitters looking, leads Free State to 3-1 victory

The numbers on the radar gun didn’t look nearly as good Thursday as the ones on the scoreboard for Free State High junior left-hander Ethan Bradford on opening night of the three-day River City Baseball Festival at Hoglund Ballpark.

Bradford’s formula for success: He battled back all night from hitters’ counts and mixed a tight breaking ball he threw for strikes with fastballs that came in at the knees and rode the black of the outside corner.

Bradford worked six innings of Free State’s 3-1 victory against Raymore-Peculiar and David Stuart worked a 1-2-3 seventh for the save. The Firebirds (6-5) meet Maize, 3:45 p.m. today at Free State.

Bradford (4-2) needed 103 pitches to get his 18 outs. He allowed six hits, walked three and struck out seven. Four of his strikeouts came on called third strikes on fastballs on the outside corner.

“Just keep the ball down and threw it on the outside part of the plate,” Bradford said. “The ump called a strike, so I just kept throwing it there.”

Bradford did not live on his fastball alone.

“The key to that was he was able to throw the breaking ball for a strike,” Free State High coach Mike Hill said of the called third strikes. “He’s not going to blow 78 to 80 by anybody, but when you’re looking breaking ball or you know the breaking ball is there, it just adds velocity to the fastball.”

As always, the challenge becomes how to get better.

“Ethan did some good things today and he’s got a chance to be a really good pitcher in time,” Hill said. “But he knows you can’t throw 103, 104 pitches in six innings when you’ve kept a team to one run. There’s been growth on his part, which is a credit to him, but he’s fully aware that if he wants to take the next step up, there’s improvement needed. And I guarantee you he will be able to to do that.”

Firebirds No. 3 hitter Jake Rittman ensured the strong pitching effort was enough by driving in runs with singles in the first and second innings. No. 2 hitter Parker Guy not only contributed a pair of hits and a run, he turned a couple of hurried infield throws into outs with fancy footwork at first base.

“He’s done a super job for us,” Hill said of his first baseman, who moved across the diamond from where most of his experience has been. “I think he was a little skittish early, but I think every game, every practice, he gets a little more comfortable. He’s a good athlete to have there.”

Ray-Pec 000 010 0 – 1 6 1

Free State 210 000 x – 3 5 0

W — Ethan Bradford. L — Derek Beauchamp.

2B — Jacob Elliott, Ray-Pec.

FSHS highlights — Bradford 6 IP, 6H, 1R, 3 BB, 7K; Jake Rittman 2 for 3, 2 RBI; Parker Guy 2 for 3, 1 run.