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Griffons tamed by defending champs
WICHITA, Kan. -- Pitching and defense carried the Nevada Griffons into the fourth round of the National Baseball Congress World Series against the Aloha (Ore.) Knights Monday, and pitching and defense provided their undoing as they fell to the defending national champions 7-1.
Playing in the quarterfinals of the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament, the Griffons looked nothing like the team that won consecutive games against the highly-touted Prairie (Ill.) Gravel and the respectable Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftains in earlier rounds.
Starting pitcher Matt Foust had trouble spotting his fastball and never looked sharp as he lasted only 4 1/3 innings. Nevada committed three errors defensively and had a costly fielding miscue that was officially scored a hit, that led to a three-run first inning for the Knights.
After Foust walked the lead-off batter on four pitches in the bottom of the first, the Knights sacrificed him to second, and Wally Crancer hit a high fly ball to center field that Mickey Nichol misjudged off the bat. Nichol moved back toward the fence, but the ball ended up dropping in shallow center field, just past shortstop Matt Lawson for a double. Zach Burba followed with a two-run single for the Knights and that was all the offense they would need.
Aloha starter Zach Bird pitched eight innings of two-hit ball, striking out 10 Griffons to collect the win.
"He was good," Nevada head coach John Hill III said of Bird. "Simply enough, we didn't have a good quality start (from Foust)."
Hill said mistakes kept the Griffons from keeping the game close.
"We had three balks, three errors, three 4-pitch walks and a hit batter. I don't care if you're playing 12-year-olds, that's not going to be a formula for success on any night," he said.
Hill acknowledged that his team seemed to lack focus in the field and at the plate.
"It started like it always does," he said. "I don't think our starting pitcher came out ready to go. At the same time, we didn't do a good job of picking him up (defensively)."
The Knights moved into the semifinals of the winner's bracket against the Seattle Studs, who knocked Jayhawk League champion Hays into the loser's bracket during the third round.
Nevada will join Hays in the loser's bracket, as they get set to take on the winner of today's game between the Seguin (Texas) Steelers and the Park City (Kan.) Cowboys. The Griffons are scheduled to play on Wednesday, but the time of the game had still not been determined as of this morning.
The Griffons have already assured themselves a top-10 finish, as the worst they can finish is tied for ninth-place.
That top-10 spot was assured when the Griffons won their third-round game Saturday against the Chieftains.
Nevada did get a quality start from their pitcher Saturday as Josh Ruffin dominated the Pueblo lineup to the tune of only three hits in eight innings.
Ruffin walked one and struck out seven as he baffled Pueblo hitters. Offensively the Griffons struggled for most of the game before breaking out with four runs in the bottom of the seventh.
The seventh inning started with a lead-off walk by Hunter Johnson. Johnson went to second on a wild pitch and after Michael Flower walked, Johnson took third on an error by Pueblo starting pitcher Jason Banks.
Brandon Hudson was hit by a pitch to load the bases, knocking Banks out of the game.
With Pueblo reliever Sean Gleason on the mound, Matt Lawson singled, scoring Johnson. Rumler then walked, bringing Flower home.
That brought up Chris "Grizzly" Taylor, who doubled over right fielder Scott Balster's head.
That brought Hudson and Lawson around, and Rumler tried to score from first, but was thrown out at home on a close play.
The four runs were all the offense either team could muster as Nevada completed the shutout 4-0.
"I had a couple of weeks off," Ruffin said recalling the 14-day break between his final start of the regular season and Saturday's game. "It felt really good to have the rest."
Hill was giddy over the game, the second consecutive in the World Series that the Griffons were error-free on defense.
"Pitching and defense, that's what I said before this thing started," Hill said. "Josh Ruffin was just, once again, outstanding."
Hill also recalled Taylor's double, something that is becoming a habit for the right fielder with the bases loaded.
"Chris Taylor had done it once before, and he did it again," Hill said, recalling the bases clearing double Taylor hit on July 16 against Liberal.
"I hadn't had very good at bats (prior to the hit)," Taylor said. "I knew I hit it really well. I was looking double."