Both Bowes and Reid were instrumental defensively for the Dons, while Reid and junior John Nutting led the offensive attack. Reno scored their first run in the second inning, and USF tied the score 1-1 in the third. In the fourth, right fielder Bob Bachtold singled sharply and Bowes was safe at first on an error. Nutting followed with a double, scoring Bachtold as Bowes advanced to third. He later scored on Dave Jones' sacrifice fly.
Despite the poor defensive showing, the Dons were sparked by a super play by shortstop John Nutting. In the fourth inning with USF leading 1-0, Hayward appeared to be threatening with runners at first and second and only one out. Hayward's Dave Bias lined a shot about four feet away from second on the third base side. When it seemed that Bias was going to get a clean base hit, shortstop Nutting made a headlong diving stab at the ball. Nutting, parallel with the ground, snatched the drive and with his arm still extended tagged second base as he hit the ground to get the double play, all in one unassisted motion. While the crowd and the USF bench were erupting, the Hayward base runner stared in frustration at the sky. The play sparked the Dons to come back in the bottom of the fourth and score two runs on a triple by Jim Ward, followed by Bob Bachtold's single and Mike Guisti's double.
John Nutting transferred to USF last September so that he could play baseball for the Dons. Unfortunately, he had but one year of eligibility left. Nutting used it well. As of May 9, Nutting was the second leading hitter in the league with a .447 average, just twenty points behind part time starter Butch Lewis of Santa Clara. John has been extremely handy in the infield at third base. In the first game of the Santa Clara series, he made a diving stab at a low line drive and caught the ball on the ground. We hope the pro scouts were watching (TheFoghorn).
