Griffons drop one-run games

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Oh so close. Twelve of the Griffons' 22 losses have come by one run, including Tuesday and Wednesday night's 5-4 setbacks to Chillicothe. Three more have been by two runs.

This most recent loss dropped the Nevada-based college baseball team to 20-22 overall, with the Griffons standing at 17-21 in the southern division of the MINK League.

Wednesday, the Griffons rallied back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game in the seventh, only to give up the deciding run in the ninth.

Reece Ponak took the loss in relief of starter Jared Keating.

Keating went seven innings and gave up four runs, all earned, on nine hits and a walk. Ponak allowed two hits and a walk in his stint.

Clint Wallace had two hits to lead the Griffons, with Anthony Davidson, Seth Fretheim, Kurt Becker, Brandon Downs, Jacob Alexander, and Daniel Midyett also reaching safely.

In Tuesday's game, it was the Griffons who scored first, plating a run in the second inning.

Other than that, the game was a pitchers' duel for the first six innings.

But that changed in the seventh, as both teams put together three-run innings.

The Mudcats, down by one, got the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth, then made that one-run difference stand up in the ninth by holding the Griffons to a lone walk in the frame.

Rich Michaud started on the mound for the Nevada team and gave way in the seventh. He was touched for nine hits and three runs, all earned, in 6.2 innings of work.

Vito Lorenzini got out of the inning but was tagged for the decisive runs in the next frame, on two hits, resulting in both earned runs.

Addison Russ finished and got the final two outs in the eighth.

Brandon Downs was 2 for 4, with a homer, his fourth, and a double, two runs and two RBI for the Griffons. Kurt Becker, Daniel Midyett and Jimmy Spanos had the other hits.

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