Griffons take two at NBC Series

Tuesday, August 5, 2003

WICHITA, Kan. -- Momentum can't be underestimated and the Nevada Griffons have it right now. How much a five-day layoff will sway "Ol' Mo'" remains to be seen. Nevada will not play again until a matchup with the Kearney (Mo.) River Bandits on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the winner climbing to the quarterfinal round of the tournament. During the regular season, the Griffons split with the River Bandits, losing the first game 4-2, then taking the final meeting by an 11-5 score. With two wins this past weekend, the Griffons advanced to the third round of the winners' bracket at the National Baseball Congress World Series with an unblemished 2-0 record. Saturday's game Nevada opened against the Southern (Ala.) Paw Sox (25-5), a team they also defeated in the 2002 Series. It wasn't pretty, but a win's a win. The Griffons (32-21) took advantage of four Paw Sox errors to score five unearned runs in the 5-3 victory. The charitable Paw Sox were their own worst enemy, but, to the Griffons' credit, they capitalized with timely hits in each situation. In the first, a two-out fielding error by the Paw Sox shortstop on Chad Steele's grounder extended the inning. Steele went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Brandon Green's double to center field. Designated hitter Reed Hawkins then doubled down the left-field line to score Green and put the Griffons up 2-0. Nevada went ahead 3-0 with a run in the second. A muffed catch by the Paw Sox first baseman of a throw on a routine grounder allowed Clay Goodwin, the first batter in the inning, to reach safely. Goodwin advanced to second on Brian Bugg's groundout, then came home on Eric Horstman's single to right field. The Paw Sox battled back with a run in the third and two in the fourth to tie the contest. Two of the three runs were unearned, courtesy of Griffon miscues. In the sixth, Nevada again made the Paw Sox pay. Steele, leading off the inning, reached on a two-base error. With Steele still at second after two flyouts, Gus Milner singled to right, moving Steele to third. Then Goodwin singled past third base to plate the tie-breaking run. The Paw Sox made a play on Milner, who was advancing to second on the play, but an errant throw allowed him to wind up at third base. Bugg's single to right center sent Milner home with an insurance run. Griffon ace John Findley (6-2) went six innings in a starting role, allowing three runs -- one earned -- on six hits. Findley struck out three and walked three. Reliever Kyler Pomeroy pitched two innings of no-hit, no-run ball before handing it over to closer Mike Sillman in the ninth. Sillman, who has yet to be scored upon in 17 innings of work, struck out two of the four batters he faced to lock up the win. He walked one, while gaining his ninth save. The Griffons' offense collected 11 hits, led by Horstman with three. Milner and Bugg had two apiece. Dane DeValk, previously undefeated, took the loss for Southern Alabama, although he allowed no earned runs. Sunday's game The Griffons faced the Tradewater (Ky.) Pirates (35-10), a third-year team making their first World Series appearance, in Sunday's second-round game. The Griffons banged 16 hits in a 10-3 rout of the Pirates. Nevada (33-21) jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a first-inning run. Horstman's bunt single followed by Kirk McConnell's infield hit set the table for the Griffons. Horstman and McConnell pulled off a double steal with one out, then Horstman crossed the plate on Green's groundout. The Pirates scored all their runs in the first inning against Nevada starter Jeff Gray. With runners on first and second and one out, a bunt back to the mound skipped over Gray's glove. It was ruled a hit and an error when shortstop Green overran the ball, allowing an unearned run to score and Pirates still on first and second. The next batter laid down a bunt. Gray fielded and got the forceout at third base. But a two-run double by Dominic Rio cleared the bases and sent the Pirates to a 3-1 lead. Nevada loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth inning, but could manage only one run. Horstman's sacrifice fly to deep right field scored Goodwin to narrow the margin to 3-2. The Griffons picked up four huge runs in the sixth. First baseman Tim Law singled in Brian Hastings, who had led off with a double to knot the score at 3. A bases-loaded walk to Hawkins, following an error on Horstman's bunt attempt and McConnell's bunt single, forced Law home with the tie-breaker. Green delivered a two-run double, scoring Horstman and McConnell and giving the Griffons a little breathing room at 6-3. Nevada added three more in the seventh, aided by two errors by the then-deflated Pirates, and one in the ninth to close out the scoring parade. Gray, along with relievers Chris Thompson and Sillman, pitched scoreless ball after the Pirates' first. Gray (5-1) earned the win with six innings of six-hit pitching. He allowed three runs, none earned, struck out three and walked five. Thompson hurled two innings of one-hit ball, with no strikeouts and no bases on balls. The ever-reliable Sillman finished the game with a no-hit ninth, although it was not a save situation. He struck out two of the three batters he faced. Leading the 16-hit attack against four Pirate pitchers, Hastings had four hits in five trips. Law went 3-for-3 and Horstman, McConnell, Green and Goodwin stroked two hits each. Horstman, 5-for-9 in the Series, became the team's hitting leader with a .392 average on the season. McConnell is a close second at .386, followed by Steele at .374. Four other Griffons; Hawkins, Hastings, Law and Green; are also above the .300 mark.

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