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| Wallace pounds Bishop in conference opener | 2007-03-16 |
| Wallace pitcher Dave Mason was given all the run support he would need in the first inning. His teammates scored five runs in the bottom of the bottom of that inning. That was more runs than Bishop State would score in the entire game Friday afternoon. | |
 Armed with a hefty lead, Mason and the Govs were able to cruise to an easy 15-4 victory over the Wildcats. The scheduled nine-inning contest was cut short because in the seventh because of the 10-run mercy rule.“It’s difficult to say anything negative right now,� Wallace coach Mackey Sasser said. “We are playing really good ball. I’d like to be able to be able to have conversation like this more often.� Without a doubt the Govs have been hitting the ball well. In their last three games, they have scored 45 runs. And since the Bishop game was the first of a three-game conference series, he threw the first of his three front-line pitchers. Because the team had such a huge lead, Mason pitched only five innings to get the win. He surrendered six hits, three runs, struck out three batters and walked one. Ira Turner took the loss for Bishop. He didn’t make it out of the second inning. Collectively, the Govs had 14 hits. But individually, Geneva’s Michael Precise continues to lead the way. In his last at-bat against Gulf Coast this past Tuesday, Precise hit a three-run homer. In his first at-bat Friday against Bishop, Precise hit another three-run homer. He ended the day only needing a single to hit for the cycle. He was 3-for-5 with home run, a triple, a double and four RBIs. “Michael is seeing the ball extremely well right now,� Sasser said. “When he swings the bat, he’s not missing. Even when he makes an out, it’s a hard hit ball.� Precise’s home run in the first gave Wallace a three-run lead. The other two runs came later in the inning when Dennis Perez hit an RBI double and Jon Eaves got an RBI on a bases loaded walk. The Wildcats were able to get one of those runs back in the top half of the second inning, but Wallace quickly responded with two more of their own in the bottom half. Precise doubled and later scored the first run on a Harman Watkins ground out, while Andrew Starr scored on a wild pitch. Wallace added two more runs in the fourth. RBI singles by Starr and Watkins gave the Govs a 9-1 lead. Mason gave up his final two runs in the top of the fifth on RBI hits by Matthew Sparks and Kenny Kiser. Relief pitcher David Travis gave up the only other run in the sixth. At that point it was 9-4. But just in case the Wildcats had any hopes of getting back in the game, the Govs slammed the door in the bottom of the sixth inning. Wallace sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs. Ernesto Gonzales hit a solo home run. Perez had a two-RBI double, while Cody Shields and Precise each had run scoring, back-to-back triples. The sixth run scored on a wild pitch. In addition to Precise, Shields was 3-for-5 with a triple and an RBI. Gonzales was 2-for-5 with a home run and an RBI, Starr was 2-for 3 with an RBI and a walk, Perez was 3-for-4 with two doubles and 3 RBIs, and Brett Chamberlain reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances. He had a single and three walks. Wallace is now 8-2 in conference play and 14-11 overall. The Govs and the Wildcats conclude their conference series today with a double-header begin at noon on the campus of Wallace College. GAME NOTES • How about this for offensive production. In the last three games, the Wallace Govs have scored 15 runs against Wallace-Selma, 13 runs against Gulf Coast, and 17 runs against Bishop. • Michael Precise ended his last game with a three-run home run. He began today’s game with another three-run homer. • Several Wallace Govs have long hitting streaks. Brett Chamberlain leads the way with a 10-game hitting streak. Andrew Starr is close behind with an eight game streak of his own. • Starr appears to be out of a hitting slump that plagued him for much of the year. One way to tell is how he reacts with others, particularly the press. Starr, who loves to talk, is now once again giving running commentary throughout the game. Starr talked so much last year that one of his teammates volunteered to his personal public relations guy. • Second baseman/pitcher Cody Shields has a new hair cut. The player who’s nickname is “Slim� is now sporting a Mohawk. When asked why, he replied, “Because somebody had to do it!� OK. Nathaniel Frazier covers Wallace baseball for the Dothan Eagle. He can be reached at NFrazier@DothanEagle.com . | |
| © Wallace Community College |
