|
 |
|
| Gulf Coast holds on to beat Wallace by one run | 2007-03-13 |
| It started out very promising. The Wallace Govs jumped out to a 6-0 lead on the Gulf Coast Commodores Tuesday afternoon. But as any coach will tell you, it’s not how you start, but how you finish. | |
 It was the Commodores that had the best finish. They scored 10 runs in the final three innings, and as it turned out, they needed every single one of them. Gulf Coast was able to hold on for a 14-13 victory over the Govs.The win came despite a heroic effort by the Govs’ Michael Precise. He was 4-for-6 in the game with seven RBIs. Precise had a two run homer in the first inning, a single in the second, a two-run double in the fifth inning, and finally a three-run blast in the bottom of the ninth. His final homer gave the Govs some hope, even though they went into the bottom of the inning trailing by five runs. “This is sort of what I expected,� said Wallace coach Mackey Sasser. Both teams were hitting the ball well. We pitched a lot of guys today in order for them to get some work. What our guys have got to learn is how to get people out. I’m trying to get them ready for late in the season or even next year. It’s a different ball game at this level.� The Govs used six pitchers in the contest. The loss went to Ernesto Gonzales who gave up five runs in his two innings of work. Although he gave up four runs, Bryam Garcia was credited with the win for Gulf Coast. He pitched the final 3 1/3 innings. The bats were certainly not the problem for the Govs. Wallace actually had 19 hits in the game compared to 16 for the Commodores. But the Govs also committed three errors. Only once were the Govs sat down in order. Eight of the nine batters in the line-up got at least one hit. The six-run lead came quickly for Wallace. In the bottom of the first, two runs scored on Precise’s homer, while Ryan Reece added a two-run double. Two more runs scored in the second from RBIs singles by Gonzales and Andrew Starr. But John Travis had his troubles in the third. The first four batters he faced all reached base and eventually scored. The big blow of the inning was an RBI double down the left field line by Scott Beckwith. That cut the lead to 6-4, Still the Govs appeared to be a good shape. That’s because they added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan Reece led off with a solo homer, and later Precise added a two-run double. He was out at third base while trying to stretch the hit into a triple. Wallace led 9-4 after five innings. That’s when the Commodores found their hitting stroke. Gulf Coast sent 10 batters to the plate in the top of the sixth. Drew Benton and Alex Kubal each had RBI singles, Cody Chizmar had a two-run triple, and the fifth run scored on a wild pitch. So when Wallace didn’t score in the bottom of the inning, the game was tied 9-9. While the Gov bats cooled off, the Commodores kept on stroking. The Commodores added two runs in the seventh. Then in the eighth, Cory Trudell hit a two-run double, while Kubal added an RBI double. Even though it seemed meaningless at the time, that double proved big. It put the Commodores up 14-9. That’s because in the bottom of the ninth, the Govs loaded the bases when Reece reached on catcher’s interference, and Dennis Perez and Brett Chamberlain both singled. The first run scored on a sacrifice fly by Jon Eaves. Two batters later, Precise hit his three-run shot, cutting the lead to a single run. But pinch hitter Anthony Kopacz grounded out to end the game. The Govs are now 12-11 on the season. Wallace will return to conference play when they host Bishop this weekend. Friday’s game will get underway at 1 p.m. GAME NOTES • Michael Precise is ripping apart opposing pitcher this year. Tuesday’s performance marked the first time in his college career that he has hit more than one home run in a single game. Precise leads the team with six homers this season. • The Govs’ Joseph Braswell and Gulf Coast’s Mason Meredith faced each other numerous times in high school. That’s because Braswell pitched for Dothan High School while Meredith played for Northview. While the two were pretty even in high school, Braswell seems to have the upper hand in college. Meredith was the first batter Braswell faced when he entered the game Tuesday, and he promptly struck him out. • The Govs were only able to get the Commodores out one-two-three in two innings of the contest. John Travis did it in the second inning, while Will Scott did it in the fifth. Wallace only sent the minimum number of batters to the plate once in the game, and that was the eighth inning. • Despite his team leading 14-9 in the ninth inning, for some reason the Commodore’s Drew Benton attempted to steal a base. But the Govs Brett Chamberlain got the last laugh when he promptly threw him out. Chamberlain has a pretty good success rate at throwing out would-be base stealers this year. • Despite losing the game, several Govs had good days at the plate. In addition to Precise, Ryan Reece had a perfect day at the plate. Reece was 3-for-3 with a home run, two doubles, a walk, reached on catcher’s interference, and had three RBIs. Andrew Starr was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a walk. Cody Shields was 2-for-4. Ernesto Gonzales was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Brett Chamberlain was 2-for-4 with a walk. Nathaniel Frazier is Sports Information Director for Wallace College baseball and covers the Govs for the Dothan Eagle. He can be reached at NFrazier@DothanEagle.com . | |
| © Wallace Community College |
