Norte Dame alum adjusting well in Catfish rotation

Noah Gadberry continued the recent trend of Cape Catfish starting pitchers producing results at Capaha Field.

The Norte Dame alum gave up only two hits with three strikeouts in five scoreless innings in a no-decision, as the Catfish won a see-saw showdown against the Normal Cornbelters 8-4 on Saturday.

“My fastball was really working,” Gadberry said. “I was able to bust it in on their hands a lot. After the first thing, they were kind of hitting me a little bit and then I sat down and relied on my bread and butter, my off-speed. That kind of threw them off a little bit.”

Gadberry has appeared in 15 games so far this summer — only three short of the league leader — but made only his fourth start. He was originally made to come out of the bullpen this season but his role has transitioned to the rotation, which suits him well.

“I'm a lot more comfortable starting,” Gadberry said. “Whenever you're gonna throw, you can kind of get a schedule. But also out of the bullpen, I like coming in and big situations. So honestly, the only thing that’s different is just the preparation and probably starting would be just a little bit better just because of preparation.”

Gadberry redshirted at Delta State this past season and is transferring to Eastern Oklahoma State College this year. His performance in the Prospect League provides him with confidence going into the junior college ranks.

“After not pitching at all, the big thing with me is just confidence,” Gadberry said. “The more I pitch, the more I get confident, and that's been my thing, just going out there and knowing who I am.”

The Catfish struck first when Lane Crowden doubled to left centerfield to score Kevin McCarthy in the first inning. After Quinton Borders drove in a run on a groundout in the second inning, Crowden struck again in the third with a two-run base hit, giving the Catfish a 4-0 lead.

The Cornbelters tied the game in the seventh inning after a four-run rally. Clay Conn drew a walk with the bases loaded and Jackson Chatterton cleared the bases with a double.

The Catfish struck back in the eighth inning, as Dante Zamudio cleared the bases with a three-run double and scored on a single by Tucker Stockton to complete the four-run rally.

During that rally, retro dance music filled the stadium and some of the Catfish players scaled the top of the dugout to dance in front of the fans on the hill to pump them up.

“The crowd this season has been unreal,” Gadberry said. “Everybody's been sitting on the hill. Everyone's been in the party deck. It's crazy coming out and because there may only be 1,100 people here but in the dugout and on the mound, it feels like you're pitching at Busch Stadium in the postseason.”

The Catfish (33-14, 11-8), who already clinched a playoff spot in the first half of the season, are a game behind the Thrillville Thrillbillies in the win column in the second-half standings.