The Jefferson City Renegades were in desperate need of a strong pitching performance. Logan Winder and Jack Kane provided that for them Thursday night at Vivion Field.
The run support just wasn't quite there to back them up.
The Renegades mustered just four hits - three by Hunter Swift - in 10 innings against the Nevada Griffons, losing 5-3 in MINK League play.
The loss is the third in a row for the Renegades.
"We're just not swinging it very well as a team the last couple of games," Renegades manager Mike DeMilia said.
Both Winder and Kane made their Renegades debuts Thursday. Winder faced the minimum through three innings, allowing a one-out walk in the second, but catcher Jackson Walker threw out Noah Menchaca attempting to go to third base on a wild pitch to end the inning.
Winder threw just 32 pitches in three innings. DeMilia said he wanted to keep Winder on a 30-40 pitch-count limit his first time out.
"Winder is really good," DeMilia said. "I don't know how much he's going to pitch for us, but he's special. He's a big-time arm for us."
Kane had a rough start in the fourth, but allowed just one run and one hit in three innings of work. Nevada's only hit through six innings was a double by Darren Willis down the right-field line in the fifth.
"They haven't pitched much, so we want to watch their pitches," DeMilia said of Winder and Kane. " We don't want to push those guys when their arms aren't in shape to go a great distance."
Swift accounted for a majority of the Renegades' offense. He singled and scored in the top of the first inning, doubled in the third inning and tripled and scored in the fifth to extend Jefferson City's lead to 3-1.
"He was really good tonight, and he's been good for us almost every game," DeMilia said.
Nolan Sachse advanced from first to third base on Swift's double in the third inning and scored easily on an errant relay throw.
Jefferson City's fourth and final hit of the game came from Mike Million, who followed Swift's triple with an RBI triple that dropped in just out of the reach of Nevada center fielder Marco Young to score the Renegades' third run.
Then the offense went quiet. Following Million's hit, Nevada pitchers retired the next 12 Renegades.
Nevada tied the game at 3 with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth. Swift came in from left field to finish pitching the eighth and stranded the bases loaded.
Neither team scored in the ninth, but Nevada doubled its hit total in the 10th with a pair of singles. Menchaca's RBI infield single with the bases loaded put the Griffons ahead for good and Cole Solomon's sacrifice fly added an insurance run.
Jefferson City brought the winning run to the plate in the bottom half of the 10th, but lined into a double play to end the game.
Although the Renegades' defense was shaky at times, a couple of key plays saved multiple runs. Sachse made a diving catch in right field for the final out of the 10th to save two runs.
"If we don't make those plays, this game gets blown open," DeMilia said.
Jefferson City (7-6) will host Nevada (4-8) again at 7 p.m. today. Thursday was the start of a four-game homestand for the Renegades, who will also have four straight home games next weekend.
"I hope we're not putting pressure on ourselves being at home," DeMilia said. "It definitely seems like we've played better on the road so far than we have at home."