Bills leads Griffons to weekend wins

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Nevada Griffons' third baseman Kevin Bills was "money." Bills, slammed two solo home runs and added an RBI on a sacrifice fly to lead the Griffons to a 6-3 victory over the Newton Rebels on Saturday. "Kevin Bills had a great game at third base, made a great play and singlehandedly kept us in the game with the bat," said Griffons' coach Daryl Byrd. "Everytime they got ahead he seemed to come up with a big hit and that was huge for us." Bills, a junior from Reno, Nev., sent the Griffons (3-1) to a first-inning 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Eric Horstman. Horstman, the Griffons' leading hitter, opened the first with a single, then stole second and third to set up the run. Newton plated two in the fourth to take a 2-1 advantage, but it was Bills again, with a homer deep over the 400-foot center field wall to deadlock the contest at 2-2. The Rebels (2-2) added another run in the fifth to retake the lead at 3-2. This time Bills erased the lead with a home run to right field, tying the score at 3-3. It was his third home run of the season, the only Griffon to hit a roundtripper. In the eighth, the Griffons came alive with three runs to clinch the win. Centerfielder Josh Thomas singled, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. Bills drew a base on balls. On an errant pickoff throw at third base, Thomas sauntered home with the tie-breaking run to put the Griffons up 4-3, while Bills moved to second. Greg Kish laid down a bunt single, advancing Bills to third. Kish stole second, putting the Griffons in a second-and-third, no-out situation. Next batter Dwayne White, a Cowley College freshman, lifted a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Bills, then pinchhitter Mickey Nichol, a returner from last year's Griffons' team, completed the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right field sending Kish home for the final 6-3 margin. Bills noted what he felt was a wake-up call for the team after a sluggish start. "I don't know if we had the intensity that we probably should have had early in the game," he said. "It was kind of dry…solemn in the dugout. Coach (Byrd) said some good stuff and got us fired up again in the fifth and sixth (innings) and got us back on track again. He kinda' came in at the right time and said what he needed to say to get us to turn up the intensity a little bit." While the Griffons' offense, save Bills' performance, floundered a bit early, the pitching staff came through once again. Keith Lancaster, of Fort Scott, Kan., and Fort Scott Community College, went 4 2/3 innings in a starting role. He allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Lancaster got a no-decision, leaving with the score knotted at 3-3. Lancaster was relieved by new arrival Kyler Pomeroy of the University of Arkansas. Pomeroy just arrived about noon on Saturday and stepped in with a strong 3 1/3 shutout innings to get the win. "I just drove up today (Saturday)," said Pomeroy. "It was cool, coming in at noon and pitching tonight." Although a few credits short of graduation, Pomeroy has completed his eligibility for the Razorbacks. Said Byrd, "Kyler (Pomeroy) brings a lot of experience to us. He's pitched a lot of innings in the SEC (Southeast Conference) and he's a great addition to our staff." Pomeroy (1-0) allowed one hit, walked none and struck out six of the 11 batters he faced. Left-handed reliever Mike Zagurski, a Hutchinson Community College sophomore, closed the win and picked up a save with two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Bills and Kish led the seven-hit offense with two hits apiece, while Horstman, Thomas and catcher Brian Bugg collected one hit each. The Griffons went on the road to meet the Parkville (Kansas City) Sluggers on Sunday. Griffons vs. Sluggers KANSAS CITY -- With the early returns indicating a solid pitching staff and a tight defense, should the Nevada Griffons' bats come alive, it could be an exciting season. The Griffons, with their most productive offensive showing, pounded 13 hits in a 13-7 win over the Parkville Sluggers on Sunday. The victory improved the Griffons' record to 4-1, with a two-game win streak. Again, hot-hitting Kevin Bills was the ringleader with a grand slam, five RBIs and three hits in five trips to raise his average to a team-leading .474. Greg Kish, an University of Oklahoma sophomore, singled three times to move into second place in the team batting-average race at .462. A third Griffon, Dwayne White, also collected three hits, including two doubles. Second baseman Eric Horstman went 2-for-3 to keep his average well above the .400 mark at .444. Horstman also had five of the six Griffon base thefts. White had the other. The Griffons, who pilfered seven bases in the previous game against the Newton Rebels, have been fearless on the basepaths. They enjoy a phenomenal success rate with 25 steals in 27 attempts. "We're going to put pressure on the defense and make them make plays," said Griffons' coach Daryl Byrd. "Until they can prove to us that they can throw us out, then we're going to continue to run and, hopefully, make things happen. To me, it's exciting baseball and we want to give the fans some fun, plus it's a momentum builder. A stolen base here, a stolen base there, get a guy in scoring position and we can make things happen." The Griffons scored three runs in the first and second innings, but Parkville (1-5) bounced back with four, on only two hits, in the bottom of the second to tighten the margin at 6-4. Griffons' starter Chris Reed, a sophomore from the University of Texas-Arlington, struck out the side in the second, but struggled with three walks, a hit batsman, a wild pitch and his own error. The Griffons struck for four runs in the fifth on Bills' slam, his fourth home run of the season, to increase the lead to 10-4, then tacked on single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth frames. Reed's line was 4 2/3 innings -- just 1/3 inning short of qualifying for the win -- of four-hit pitching with eight strikeouts and eight walks. He was charged with six runs. Griffons' reliever Derick Smith (1-0) picked up the win with 2 1/3 innings of work. He allowed two hits, one run, struck out two and walked none. Evan Burgess finished off the Sluggers with two shutout innings. But for a rainout on Friday, the Griffons were scheduled for nine consecutive days. They travel to Topeka to face the Capitals in their Jayhawk League opener on Monday, then on to Springfield for a non-league contest against the Slashers on Tuesday. They come home for a return engagement with the Capitals on Wednesday at 7 p.m., before a Thursday off day. Note: The Griffons (5-1, 1-0) opened their Jayhawk League season with a 3-2 win, their third straight, over the Topeka Capitals on Monday night. Starter Mike Zagurski (1-0) was the winner and Kyler Pomeroy got the save. Details were unavailable at press time.

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