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Allison saves day as Griffons pick up first MINK League win
Nevada Daily Mail
CHILLICOTHE ---- Nevada Griffons center fielder Austin Allison made a game-saving over-the-shoulder catch at the warning track Tuesday night to preserve a 5-3 road victory over the Chillicothe Mudcats.
With the win, Nevada improves to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in MINK League play.
Griffons starting pitcher Josh Green, out of Southeastern Louisiana University, was lights out on the mound. Green pitched four no-hit innings, striking out five while walking just one.
With one out in the top of the first inning, Nevada's Jacob Bryant reached first base after being walked by Mudcats starting pitcher Caleb Bounds. However, the inning came to a quick close when Taylor Walker grounded into a double play.
In the bottom half of the inning, Green stuck out one and walked one.
After an Eric Kirkpatrick fly out to open the top of the second, Griffons outfielder Dusty Wright singled off Bounds. However, Wright was left on base when Tyler Bodenstab popped out to third base, followed by a Ray Hutchison ground out to second.
Green breezed through the bottom of the second, striking out one while retiring the side in order.
Struggling to find any offense, the Griffons also went down in order in the top of the third inning.
With the game still scoreless entering the fourth inning, Bryant led things off with a double. The Griffons failed to capitalize, as Bounds induced a fly out of Walker, followed by two ground outs to conclude the top half of the inning.
Green finished out his day in the bottom of the fourth, notching his fifth strike out in a one, two, three inning.
Things got interesting in the top of the sixth, as the Griffons tacked five runs on the board, breaking the game open.
The inning opened with Bounds issuing back-to back walks to Seth Sims and Bryant. After Walker grounded out to the pitcher, Kirkpatrick followed, reaching first base courtesy of an infield error, loading the bases for Wright.
Wright took full advantage of the opportunity, smashing a double off Bounds, plating Sims and Bryant to hand the Griffons a 2-0 lead.
In addition, Wright's double knocked Bounds out of the game. Right-handed pitcher Zach Smith replaced Bounds on the hill.
A second error would prove costly for the Mudcats, as Kirkpatrick, Wright, and Hutchison would touch home plate to put Nevada on top 5-0.
Nevada's Ray Aguilera replaced Green in the bottom of the fifth, but would encounter trouble in the sixth, as he was touched up for three hits, resulting in a run, as the Mudcats trailed 5-1.
Aguilera's woes continued in the seventh, as Tyler Burns led off the bottom half of the frame with a single. After David Lehman flew out to Allison in center field for the first out, Aguilera put a second runner on base, walking Isaac Gonzalez.
After a Joey Morales fly out to right field advancing Burns to third base, Jaraad Salas was brought in to relive Aguilera.
Salas promptly gave up a single off the bat of Thomas Lerouge, scoring Burns to trim the Griffons lead to 5-2. Gonzalez advanced into scoring position on the play.
Josh Ethier followed with a single, bringing Gonzalez around from second to score, as Nevada's lead dwindled to 5-3.
The inning finally came to a close when cleanup hitter Garrison Schwarz popped out to first base.
With the Griffons still holding a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, Shea Nixon, out of Angelo State University was brought in to close out the game.
Nixon opened the inning by getting Morales to ground out to second. Lerouge then reached base via a single. Ethier popped out to second for the innings second out.
With the Mudcats down to their final out, Derek Rodigo's single advanced Lerouge all the way to third base.
With Schwarz at the plate, Rodigo swiped second base, putting runners in scoring position.
With the count 2-1, Schwarz lifted a Nixon pitch into deep center field where Allison made the game-saving grab.
Wright collected three of the Griffons four hits on the evening.