Becker Sharp as Regina Holds Off Durant in Season Opener

Ryan Murken Follow @rmmurken June 15, 2020

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DURANT – The eyes of sports fans across the country were not actually fixed on high school baseball games in Iowa on Monday evening.

It’s easy to understand how it felt like that was the case for prep players around the state.

For the first time in more than three months prep sports in Iowa started back up again with the opening of baseball and softball season.

“This was one of the first games in America being played,” Regina junior Chase Becker said. “It was just fun to be back out there.”

While prep sports in Iowa had been shelved since March 13 due to concerns of the coronavirus pandemic Becker looked sharp in his return to live action on Monday.

Becker struck out seven in four no-hit innings and Regina held on for a 5-4 win over Durant in the River Valley Conference South Division opener for both teams on a picture-perfect night in Durant.

“A few weeks ago we weren’t sure if we were going to get a season so it felt great to get back out there,” Becker said. “Training is over and we can get out there and have fun.”

Eliezer De Los Santos had three hits in his Regina debut as the Regals out-hit Durant 9-2.

Still the Wildcats had the tying run on first base in the bottom of the seventh before Regina reliever Danny Molony got Durant third baseman Ben Orr to ground out to second to end the game.

“It was great just to get out there,” Regina coach Todd Becker said. “These guys have been working really hard for the past two weeks, two practices a day with one day off. You are trying to cram everything in and get arms ready and that’s never an easy thing.”

Summer sports got the go-ahead from the Iowa High School Athletic Union last month with practice starting June 1.

With the pandemic-shortened schedule allowing for just a two-week preseason pitching ranks as the top concern for many coaches.

In its season opener Monday it was pitching that carried Regina.

Becker, Kyle Schooley and Molony combined to strike out 10 while holding Durant to just two hits, both coming in a two-run Wildcat seventh inning.

“Our pitchers were really good during COVID to throw,” Becker said. “I was very blessed and fortunate that we had some college guys that were back during COVID and they took the guys out and played catch with them and that worked really well for us and I think that showed tonight. The three arms that we threw out there really did a nice job tonight.”

Chase Becker was among those Regina pitchers to get regular work in during the pandemic.

The junior right-hander threw daily during the three months that COVID-19 kept teams away from regular workouts.

“I went out there every day and tried to throw and get my work in just like a normal season,” Becker said. “I felt like there was no setback. I just went out and worked hard.”

That work showed on Monday.

Becker struck out five of the first seven batters he faced allowing one run while walking one and hitting a batter.

“I felt like I was sharp,” Becker said. “I threw my fastball mostly and they couldn’t hit it. I was going to keep throwing it until they proved they could hit it and they couldn’t tonight.”

Regina broke open a 1-1 game with three runs in the fourth.

Jack Tierney and Levi Quinlan each had an RBI double in the three run fourth that would give Regina a lead it would never give up.

The Regals tacked on what proved to ben an important insurance run in the seventh when Becker doubled and scored on a wild pitch.

“This was a big confidence booster and I am excited to see where we go,” Chase Becker said. “We have 17 games left so we have to play hard the rest of them.”