Harper drives Coyotes’ rally

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- On his first trip to the plate Tuesday night, Bryce Harper struck out swinging. He walked back to the dugout and vowed to get a measure of revenge.

"I wasn't going to let him get me again," the College of Southern Nevada freshman said.

Harper got what he wanted with a line-drive home run in his next at-bat and then he topped it with a tape-measure blast later in the game.

When he was done swinging for the fences, Harper had eight RBIs to lift the Coyotes to a 12-7 victory over Iowa Western in the third round of the Junior College World Series.

Second-ranked CSN (52-14) advanced to meet No. 1 San Jacinto (Texas) at 6:30 p.m. today in the most-anticipated matchup of the double-elimination tournament.

"It's going to be a great game, and I can't wait to see what happens," Harper said.

A crowd of 10,233 at Suplizio Field finally got to see Harper show the power that has garnered him national acclaim. But the 17-year-old from Las Vegas High School wanted to praise a teammate.

Kenny McDowall, a sophomore right-hander from Spring Valley High, received an early call from the bullpen and threw 6 2/3 strong innings to earn the win.

"I give all the credit to Kenny because he just came in and threw up some goose eggs," Harper said.

McDowall allowed two runs on five hits and struck out nine to help the Coyotes recover from deficits of 3-0 and 5-3.

"I knew I had to keep it close and keep us in the game," McDowall said. "It was great. I loved it. The crowd, the intensity, the nerves that you have to overcome ... it was the biggest game of my life."

CSN starter Joe Robinson, a right-hander from Green Valley High, got a rude introduction. He served up a leadoff homer to Ivan Hartle, and two infield errors led to another run in the first.

Robinson, who was leaving pitches over the plate instead of hitting spots inside, was knocked out in the third inning after Iowa Western's Anthony Bemboom ripped a two-run homer for a 5-3 lead.

"If you can't locate your fastball, you're in trouble against aluminum bats. I was glad I pulled the trigger early," CSN coach Tim Chambers said. "We've got a whole lot of faith in Joe, but he just didn't have it. We'll use him again."

McDowall's pitching steadied the Coyotes, who took advantage of three defensive blunders by the Reivers to blow open the game.

In the fifth, Harper hit a high fly to left field that should have been the third out. But Iowa Western's Tanner Moore never saw the ball and it dropped for a two-run double.

Trent Cook followed by lining a single off first baseman Kevin Starr's glove, and Harper scored from second to put CSN up 6-5.

The Coyotes scored five runs in the sixth inning. Tomo Delp doubled before Ryan Scott's infield popup was misplayed for a single. Daniel Higa then hit a grounder that was fielded cleanly by third baseman Brent Seifert, but he blew the double-play opportunity by throwing wide of second into right field.

After Scott Dysinger's RBI single, Harper stepped to the plate with two runners on and ripped an opposite-field blast that sailed an estimated 440 feet to left, extending CSN's lead to 11-5.

"It felt good," said Harper, who hit his second homer off Reivers reliever Jordan Kistler. Harper's first homer, a tying three-run shot in the third inning, was off Western Iowa starter Zach Willand.

Dysinger finished 3-for-3, and Cook went 3-for-5 with a solo homer in the ninth.

■ NOTES -- USA Baseball announced Harper is one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, presented to the nation's top amateur player. ... The World Series is not quite a true national championship. The NJCAA has 525 colleges hailing from 43 states, and California is not part of the association.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.