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| Wallace sweeps CVCC | 2007-03-03 |
| The way the Wallace Govs won their two games against the Chattahoochee Valley Pirates Saturday afternoon was dramatically different. But the results were the same. | |
 In the first game, the Govs used one big inning to score most of their runs and won that game 7-4. In the second, the Govs scored a run in their last at-bat to earn a come-from-behind 4-3 victory.Saturday’s sweep means the Govs took two of three conference games from CVCC. Wallace dropped the opener 7-5 on Friday. “These were two good wins for us,� Wallace coach Mackey Sasser said. “We’ve got to quit making mental errors, but in the end we got the wins. That’s what really matters.� The Govs fell behind 3-0 in the first game. Two of those runs came in the top of the second inning. After Chris Banker and Antonio Calloway reached base on back-to-back singles, both later scored when the Pirates twice executed the “first-and-third� double steal to perfection. In both cases, the Govs failed to even get an out. In the fourth inning, the Pirates scored their third run when starting pitcher Ernesto Gonzales ran into control problems. After giving up a lead off single to Banker, Gonzales walked the next batter and hit one to load the bases. The run scored when Steele hit a sacrifice fly to right field. The Pirates attempted the first-and-third double steal trick again, but catcher Brett Chamberlain picked the runner off at third base to end the threat. The Govs got two of the runs back in the bottom of the inning. Precise reached on an error and Gonzales singled to start the inning. Then Andrew Starr dropped down a perfect bunt along the third base line. The charging third baseman not only didn’t get Starr out at first, he threw the ball away and Precise scored. Ryan Reese knocked in the second run with a sacrifice fly. Wallace tied the game in the bottom of the fifth when Cody Shields reached base on a swinging bunt. Once again the third baseman threw the ball away, and this time Jon Eaves scored. The game winner came in the bottom of the sixth. Harman Watkins led off with a single and later went to second on a wild pitch. Chamberlain got the game winning RBI with a solid single to center field. Gonzales, who played short stop in the first game, pitched a complete game to earn the victory in the second game. “I never did panic when I fell behind,� Gonzales said. “I knew I just needed to concentrate more. When I’m pitching instead of playing in the field, I have to concentrate a lot harder.� The Govs needed only one big inning to defeat the Pirates in first game. But that big inning wasn’t much of their doing. It was more of the wildness of the Pirate pitching staff. For the Pirates, the line score in that second inning was a coach’s nightmare. Wallace scored six runs on only two hits, one error, four wild pitches, two walks and a hit batter. But those six runs were all the Govs needed as they held on for the victory. The only hits the Govs got in the inning came off the bats of Shields and Andrew Starr. The only RBI of the inning came courtesy of a Chamberlain sacrifice fly. One run scored on an error, while CVCC starting pitcher Jordan Freeman and reliever Cody Belt uncorked two run scoring wild pitches each. The Govs added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Gonzalez hit a double that scored Eaves. Shields was called out at the plate while attempting to score on yet another wild pitch. The Pirates never put together a big inning. They scored single runs in the second, third, fourth and sixth inning. Mitchell Davidson got the win for the Govs he pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs, walked three, hit one batter, and struck out one. The Govs are now 4-2 in the conference and will not play again until next Friday and Saturday at Wallace-Selma. GAME NOTES • Cody Shields had two swinging bunts in Saturday’s double header. What is so unusual is Shields reached base both times and runs scored when the ball was thrown down the left field line. • Andrew Starr is showing signs of finally coming out of his season-long hitting slump. He has not had hits in three consecutive games, including a bunt hit that got a Govs rally started in game two. • Brett Chamberlain got his first start at third base in the first game of the double header and did not make an error. Chamberlain was back at his usual position of catcher in game two and once again picked a runner off base. • The tradition of former Wallace players coming back to watch the Govs play continue. Chris Corley and Brent Hardy from last year’s team both spent time in the dugout with the Govs. Former players Jeff Hale and Mike Henry (now a pro scout) were also in attendance. • For the second consecutive weekend, the Govs have won a conference series after dropping the opening game. The Govs lost the first game to LBW last week and to CVCC this weekend. In both instances, the Govs came back to sweep on Saturday. Coincidentally, the start time for both Saturday double headers had been moved up to 11 a.m. Nathaniel Frazier is Sports Information Director for Wallace baseball and covers Wallace baseball for the Dothan Eagle. He can be reached at NFrazier@DothanEagle.com . | |
| © Wallace Community College |
