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| Wallace sweeps Jeff Davis | 2007-03-31 |
| The Jeff Davis Warhawks thought they were going to leave Dothan by salvaging at least one game. After losing the first two games of their conference series against the Wallace Governors, the Warhawks were in a perfect position to do so. They went into the bottom of the last inning of game two with a two-run lead. | |
 But in the words of Wallace assistant coach Pete Coachman and many others, “It ain’t over til it’s over.�Down to their final out, the Govs rallied to score three runs and take a 5-4 victory. The dramatic come-from-behind victory capped a good day for the Govs, as Wallace managed to pull off a hard-fought 8-3 victory in game one. “This is what can happen when a team doesn’t give up,� Wallace coach Mackey Sasser said. “We were facing a good pitcher (Tim Horne) today. The kid had a great change-up, but we battled and battled and finally in the end we got some key hits and a break.� It began innocently enough. After the Warhawks scored what appeared to be an insurance run in the top of the seventh, Jeff Davis had a 4-2 lead. Horne had pitched the entire game, and quickly got the first out of the inning. But the Govs got their first break of the inning when Michael Precise hit a slow roller to second base. For this hard-hitting slugger, that was quite a change. The ball was hit so slow that Precise was able to beat the throw to first and was safe. The second out of the inning came next when Ernesto Gonzales hit a long fly ball to center field. The ball just missed being a home run that would have tied the game. But the centerfielder made the catch up against the fence, and the Govs were down to their final out. Next, Andrew Starr managed to coax a walk out of Horne. Then Brett Chamberlain, the only Govs who consistently solved the Horne mystery, got his third hit of the game. This one was an RBI single to left field. Now the Govs trailed by a single run. Dennis Perez was next, and he quickly got in the hole with two strikes. But then came the sequence that ended the game. Perez lined a single to left field that should have only tied the game. But in his haste to get to the ball and possibly throw the runner out at the plate, the left fielder let the ball go through his legs and it rolled all the way to the fence. Pinch runner Cory Crawford and Chamberlain both scored giving the Govs the victory. “I was studying the pitcher,� Perez said. “I had noticed that whenever he got two strikes on a batter, he liked to throw the change-up. So I was looking for that pitch and I got it.� Horne pitched the entire game for the Warhawks and took the loss. Cody Shields also pitched a complete game for the Govs and got the win. The three-game sweep by Wallace improved the Govs conference record to 15-3, 20-12 overall. The Govs remain in first place in the Southern Division. The Govs won the first game by five runs, but it was by no means an easy victory. As Wallace has so often done, they jumped on top in the first inning. The tone for the game was set early. The first three Govs hitters reached base, and all three scored. Jon Eaves was hit by a pitch. Shields singled to left field, and then Michael Precise singled to center field to score the first run. A ground out by Andrew Starr knocked in the second run, and Precise later scored on a wild pitch. Wallace was up 3-0 after only one inning. The Warhawks got one of the runs back in the top of the second. But in the fourth inning Starr hit a solo home run that once again put the Govs up by three runs. The Govs also scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. They were finally able to put the game away in the bottom of the eighth with two runs. Mitchell Davidson pitched six innings to get the win, while Gonzales got the save. Davidson was rather modest in victory. “I didn’t have my best stuff today, but our hitters a good job,� Davidson said. “The important thing is we got the win. The way our guys are hitting now, basically all I have to do is throw strikes.� Eight of the nine batters in the lineup had at least one hit for the Govs in game one. With his home run in the first game and a double in game two, Starr now has a 15-game hitting streak. The Govs will step out of conference play Tuesday when they take on Jeff State of Birmingham in Montgomery on the campus of AUM. The Govs return to conference action Friday when they travel to Enterprise to take on Enterprise-Ozark Community College. GAME NOTES • If there was any doubt that this year’s Wallace baseball team plays for each other, that doubt was erased in the first game. Ernesto Gonzales ran over Jeff Davis catcher Ryan Kelley after he blocked the plate (see photo). As Gonzales was getting up to go back to the dugout, Kelley shoved him in the back. The Govs were all fired up and ready to come to the defense of their short stop/pitcher before cooler heads prevailed. • There may be a good reason some of the Govs are hitting so well. They go to the plate with a plan. Before he stepped to the plate in the fourth inning of the first game, Andrew Starr said he was about to hit a home run. He promptly hit his first home run of the season, and continued his 15-game hitting streak. In the sixth inning of the same game, before stepping to the plate Michael Precise said the pitcher was about to hang a curve ball to him. The pitcher did, and Precise lined it to right field for a single. Facing left-handed pitcher Tim Horne, Brett Chamberlain said he wasn’t going to try to pull the ball against him. He promptly got three hits in the game. • It’s obvious the fans are realizing the Govs are playing good baseball. A couple of their female fans showed up at the game with signs that read, “GO GOVS!� • Any one who regularly attends a Gov game knows that Dr. Michael Precise (Michael’s father) is a constant fixture at the games. Dr. Precise is a very knowledgeable baseball fan who often keeps umpires and players on their toes with his clever zingers. Saturday afternoon, he had a classic. He told one Wallace hitter to “Drive the ball like a nail. Hit it on the head. Make like you are a hammer!� • Another reason the Govs may be hitting the ball well is because they don’t allow the opposing pitcher to get into a groove. In all three games against Jeff Davis, the Govs had at least two base runners in the first inning, forcing the opposing pitcher to go from the stretch early in the contest. • In addition to hitting the ball well, the Govs are also playing great defense. Short stop Ernesto Gonzales went deep into the hole at least twice Saturday to take away hits. Second baseman turned pitcher Cody Shields made two outstanding plays on the mound to take away hits, including one when he jumped high in the air to snag the ball that was headed to center field. • The Govs have now won all of their conference series, including having a 5-1 record in Saturday first games. Special thanks to Brett Birdsong for his assistance with game notes. Nathaniel Frazier is Sports Information Director for Wallace baseball and covers the Govs for the Dothan Eagle. He can be reached at NFrazier@DothanEagle.com. | |
| © Wallace Community College |
