TAMPA - Riverview coach Zach Walker thought it was time for a change.
The Sharks were coming off a 10-0 thumping against Durant on Friday night, so Walker decided to shuffle his batting order.
With each Shark hitting in a different spot than the night before, visiting Riverview (8-6) utilized a three-run third inning to beat Chamberlain 3-1 on Saturday.
"The middle of our order hasn't produced much this season," Walker said. "One of the things we preach is staying consistent, but I wanted to put some different people in different run-scoring situations."
While it's not uncommon for a coach to juggle his lineup occasionally, complete overhauls are rare. So rather than spring the changes on his team before the game, Walker met with each player individually.
"I sat each guy down and told him what was going to happen, what to expect and what we wanted them to accomplish," Walker said. "I didn't want this to be a surprise."
In the third Tyler Nessmith (2-for-3) drove the first pitch he saw from Chiefs starter Tom Nofsinger (2-2) over the right-centerfield fence for his first home run of the season. Jed McCall and Jason Harmon delivered run-scoring singles to put the Sharks ahead 3-0.
That was all Sharks starter Xavier Malave (3-2) needed. The junior right-hander didn't overpower the Chiefs (three strikeouts) but worked down in the zone and threw strikes (one walk) in going the distance.
"(Malave) was a little inconsistent earlier in the season and we wanted him to temper himself a bit," Walker said. "But he's thrown two three-hit shutouts his last couple starts, and we're starting to see that consistency we're looking for."
Chamberlain's Steven Howard went 3-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases, and Patrick Wilson knocked in the Chiefs (11-7) lone run.
