Whenever Mahtomedi’s starting pitcher Winston Wisely took the Target Field mound in the Class 3A baseball state championship game on Saturday, Zephyrs coach Rob Garry had two words of advice to offer: slow down.
“I was telling him to walk slowly, do everything slowly,” Garry said. “He changes speeds so well, but he needs that rhythm.”
The deliberate approach worked wonders in Mahtomedi’s 6-2 victory over Mankato East at Target Field. After giving up two walks and two hits in the bottom of the first inning — and a tying run — Wisely wisely listened to his coach.
Pounding the zone with his fastball and judiciously mixing in his curve and change-up at a leisurely pace, the senior lefthander was in control the rest of the way, pitching a complete game while giving up seven hits.
“I just told myself that the first inning is out of the way and the moment wasn’t as big as I thought it was,” Wisely said.
Added Garry: “You see him in the halls or at practice and he’s just a free-spirited dude. But he’s a bulldog on the mound.”
While Wisely was shutting down the No. 1-seeded Cougars, Mahtomedi was building a lead without making much contact.
The Zephyrs scored three runs in the top of the second inning thanks to three walks, a hit-by-pitch, a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly.
