Wallace College - Baseball Press Releases

Govs get swept by ABAC in season opener	2008-02-04
It wasnâ€™t the start to the 2008 baseball season that the Wallace Govs were hoping for. In the first game of the double header against the Abraham Baldwin Stallions Saturday afternoon, the Govs were unable to hold a three-run lead in the final inning. In the second game, the Govs were just simply unable to hit the baseball.
The result was a sweep for the visitors from Tifton. The Stallions won the first game 9-8 and completed the day with a 6-1 victory in the nightcap. In game one, the Stallions parlayed four hits and a couple of walks into four runs in the top of the seventh inning, and that turned out to be the difference in the game. Wallace led 8-5 going into that final inning. But relief pitcher Justin Hay, who had come in and shut the Stallions down for three innings, suddenly ran into trouble. Two of the first three batters he faced in the inning walked. Then Wes Baxter singled to load the bases with just one out. Hay was replaced by Sloan Simmons who immediately gave up a two-run single to Blake Lee. Neill Jordan promptly tied the score with an RBI single to centerfield. After a line-drive out, Alex Wyche delivered what turned out to be the game winning hit. Wiche hit a double to center field that rolled to the fence and scored the lead run. A second runner was thrown out at the plate. Before that meltdown, the Govs had actually rallied from a four-run deficit to take the lead. Starting pitcher Andrew Hockenbury gave up a solo home run to Richard Hudson and three-run homer to Wiche in the second inning that gave the Stallions their lead. The Govs struck back in the bottom of the third to tie the game. An RBI ground out by T.J. Rivera, an RBI single by Esterlin Perozo, and a two-run homer by Ryan Reece did the trick. After ABAC scored a run in the top of the fourth, the Govs tacked on three more the very next inning when Perozo hit his second homer of the game. This time it was a three-run blast over the left field fence. Wallace added its final run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Reece. After getting 13 hits in the first game, Wallace only managed to get two hits in the second game. And though they were in the game until the final inning, the lack of offense cost them. Starting pitcher Daniel Carelaâ€™s wild pitch in the first inning allowed the first run to score. An RBI double by Wyche plated the second run in the second inning. The Govs cut that lead in half in the fourth inning when Rivera hit an RBI double. The Stallions stretched the lead back to two runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Dax Driggs. It wasnâ€™t until the seventh inning that ABAC put the game away. The Stallions scored three runs on only two hits. It was physical and mental errors that cost the Govs. On one play, no one covered first base on a bunt back to the pitcher so everyone was safe. On another play, on a slow roller down the first base line, no one covered first base again, yet the first baseman turned and threw the ball any way. That error allowed two runs to score. The third run scored on a bases loaded walk. Hay took the loss for the Govs in the first game, while Carela got the loss in the second. The Govs are off to an 0-2 start. â€œWe will be okay,â€? said Wallace coach Mackey Sasser. â€œWe hit the ball well in the first game, but we just couldnâ€™t hold the lead. In the second game, their pitchers just kept us off balance. Weâ€™ve just got to go back to work and get better.â€? The Govs will play Jeff State at AUM Wednesday. They will return home Thursday to play Lawson State at 1 p.m. GAME NOTES Anthony Kopacz picked up the first hit of the year for the Govs. It was single to center field that came in the second inning of the first game. Ryan Reece hit the teamâ€™s first home run of the season. It was a two-run blast in the third inning. Reece later got the teamâ€™s first double. T.J. Rivera picked up the teamâ€™s first RBI. It was ground out in the third inning that scored Chris Sasser. Brett Chamberlain collected the teamâ€™s first walk. In fact, Chamberlain reached base three timesâ€”all without a hit. Two were walks and the other was on a hit-by-pitch. Andrew Hockenburry gave up the teamâ€™s first run of the year when he allowed a solo homer in the second inning. Chris Sasser became the first player this year to turn a double into a single. His hit in the third inning rolled to the fence in left field, but he was nearly thrown out while trying to scramble back to first. He did reach second base on the over throw. The Govs have become the latest team to go to wrist bans on their arm. Instead of a coach having to use hand signals, now he simply yells a series of numbers which correspond to a list on the wrist ban. Nathaniel Frazier is Sports Information Director for Wallace College Baseball. He can be reached at NFrazier@DothanEagle.com .