Walk-off single lifts Griffons in the 10th

Thursday, June 29, 2006
Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail Justin Ellrich slaps a double to left field to start the 10th-inning rally that helped the Nevada Griffons beat the Southwest Slashers at Lyons Stadium Wednesday, 4-3. Ellrich also hit a two-run homer earlier in the game.

Nevada Daily Mail

NEVADA, Mo. -- Scott Dunwoody's walk-off single to center scored Tyler Johnson from second as the Nevada Griffons beat the Southwest Slashers in 10 innings Wednesday, 4-3.

The win snapped a six game losing streak and gave Nevada their second victory in the last 14 games.

Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail Peter Tountas fields a ball at shortstop during the Griffon win Wednesday. Nevada had one of their better games defensively to end a six-game losing skid.

"It felt good for the team," Dunwoody said after he and Johnson were mobbed by teammates after winning just their second one-run game of the season. The Griffons are now 2-8 in contests decided by a single run.

"The one-run games were just killing us," Dunwoody said. "It's nice to have one go in our favor."

Dunwoody said the Griffons have been on the verge of breaking through all season.

"We've had chances all year. It's just coming through, getting that big hit. We've had runners on base all year," he said.

Johnson was pinch running for designated hitter Justin Ellrich, who had doubled to left with one out in the tenth. Dunwoody followed by slapping a 1-0 pitch up the middle, just past diving Slasher shortstop Jeff Granthem, and Johnson never slowed down coming around the bag at third. Griffons head coach John Hill III was waving him around from the coach's box the entire time.

"When I saw that ball go up the middle and Tyler go around (third) to home plate, I could see the guys coming out of the dugout to meet him," Hill said. "That's why playing baseball is so great."

Ellrich practically carried the Griffons offensively, also hitting a two-run homer to center field in the fourth inning. It was Ellrich's team-leading fourth home run of the season.

Nevada High School graduate Luke Stahl started the game, lasting six innings while giving up six hits and two walks. He struck out seven and allowed all three Slasher runs, only two of them earned.

"Luke wasn't as efficient as we wanted him to be, but he competed," Hill said. "He did what we needed him to do, he got us through the sixth inning."

"It feels good to win a game," Stahl said after making his first career start as a Griffon at Lyons Stadium, the same park he played his high school games at.

Stahl said he wasn't too nervous before the game.

"I was just trying to remember the spring," he said. "I had a pretty good spring (at Allen County Community College) and I wanted to carry some of it over to here."

Nevada got stellar bullpen work as well, getting shutout innings from Trent Lare, Andrew Mueller, John Christian and Brant Combs (1-1).

The Slashers got on the board first in the second inning when Mike Hallam had an RBI single with two outs and Granthem doubled to drive him in. Tyler Doke had singled leading off, and after Stahl retired the next two batters, Hallam went right back up the middle and Granthem hit one past center fielder Josh Barnett in the right-center field alley.

Granthem tried to stretch the hit into a triple but was thrown out at third to end the inning.

The Griffons tied it up in the fourth when Ellrich homered to right center after Matt Wagner had reached on an error by Southwest second baseman Derick Coleman.

The tie score didn't last long as the Slashers scored one in the top of the fifth on a walk, sacrifice and an error by Griffon shortstop Peter Tountas. It was the only error of the game for the Griffons, who came in averaging two per game.

Instead it was the Slashers blundering defensively as another Coleman error helped the Griffons knot the game in the seventh. Newly acquired Griffon Travis Jensen led off with a single and was moved to second by a sacrifice bunt laid down by Kenny Price. Josh Barnett singled, moving Jensen to third. After Shawn Taylor struck out Matt Wulfers grounded to Coleman, who dropped the ball for the second time in the game, allowing Jensen to score the tying run.

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