Madison sophomore leads Bobcats to rare series victory over Highland
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POCATELLO — Last Wednesday, Madison sophomore Alex Ramos suffered one of the worst possible outcomes a pitcher can face. He started Game 2 of a doubleheader against conference foe Highland, and not only was he saddled with a loss, he failed to survive the first inning.
One day later, he returned to the mound in relief of fellow sophomore Sam Berry. And not only did he rebound from the struggles of the previous day, he dominated for four innings. And just for good measure, he hit what would prove to be the game-winning homer as the Bobcats sealed their first season series victory over the Rams since 2017.
“Alex is very mature for his age,” said Madison head coach Jason Phillips, noting the right-hander’s struggles Wednesday. “He comes back, all dialed in, and does this. It just says a lot about his IQ and his character.”
Ramos said after the game that he battled some nerves, and a lapse in confidence Wednesday. He regained that confidence and disregarded the nerves when he returned to the mound Thursday.
“I was just focused on trusting my stuff, I guess — not being nervous like yesterday,” he said when asked what was the biggest difference between the two outings.
On the mound, Ramos held the Rams hitless for four innings, allowing just one base runner — on a walk — while striking out two.
As if that weren’t enough, he contributed at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with a single and a walk, and a fifth-inning two-run homer that turned a 4-3 Highland lead into a 5-4 advantage for Madison. That would prove to be the final score.
Ramos said that “it feels great” to have his stuff working on the mound, but that nothing feels better than connecting on a big fly.
“There’s nothing better than that,” he said. “It’s probably the best feeling you could ever have in life. It feels great.”
Madison is a very young team, with eight sophomores, two juniors and only four seniors, according to Phillips. He was impressed with the youngsters in Thursday’s win, especially Ramos.
“They showed grit. They get after it,” he said.
The Baby Bobcats get back to work Thursday, with a three-game set against another conference rival in Thunder Ridge. Game one of the series will be at Madison, with a doubleheader at the Titans on Saturday.
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