Wallace College - Baseball Press Releases

Wallace splits with Southern Union to win series	2008-03-22
After a disappointing loss in the opening game against the Southern Union Bison, the Wallace Govs got their act together. Good pitching, timely hitting, and a crucial defensive play propelled the Govs to a 3-2 victory in the second game of their conference double-header Saturday afternoon.
The victory was needed because game one could best be described as ugly for Gov fans. The team gave up eight runs, but six of those runs were unearned. That was the difference in an 8-4 Wallace loss. But in game two, Justin Hay was in complete command of the game. He did give up a run in the first inning and a run in the fifth, but that was it. In the bottom of the fifth, the Govs cut that 2-0 lead in half. Wallace got three hits in the inning, including an RBI single by T.J. Rivera. And as his team came into the dugout in the bottom of the sixth, Hay told them, just get me two runs and this game is over. “I was feeling real good about my game today,” Hay said. “I had been hitting my spots all day.” Brett Chamberlain took Hay’s advice seriously. He led off the inning my smashing a solo home run, his fifth of the season. That tied the game at 2-2. Ryan Reece followed with a double to centerfield and that chased starting pitcher Robbie Loew from the game. Cory Watts entered and immediately got a strikeout. But he couldn’t get by Esterlin Perozo who came through with a solid single to center field. That plated Reece with the go-ahead run. But the game still wasn’t over because the Bison got to bat in the top of the seventh. And things got a little shaky when Todd McRae led off the inning with a single, so the tying run was on base. That’s when Chamberlain came through with his second big play of the game. Corey Whittle, a pinch runner for McRae attempted to steal second. But Chamberlain threw him out by plenty. “I knew they were a running team,” Chamberlain said. “So I figured they would try to take second base in that situation. When I saw the guy take off, I just set my feet, threw the ball, and trusted my arm.” After that put-out, the Bison were unable to get a runner in scoring position. The win meant the Govs have won all of their conference series this year, taking two of three from Southern Union. The Govs are 12-3 in the Southern Division, 13-9 overall. Depending on how other teams faired this weekend, the Govs will be in first or second place. Southern Union is ineligible to play in the state tournament because they are on probation. “I knew I would be pretty tough to hit as the game went along,” Hay said of his performance on the mound. “My change-up was working extremely well. Plus, I was able to hit my spots with all three of my pitches. When you’ve got command of three pitches, it makes you tough to hit.” As for his big hit in the bottom of the sixth, Chamberlain said “I had been stressing at the plate all day. So I just told myself to relax. I went up there with a plan. I got a fast ball on the outside, so I just hit the ball where it was pitched. Fortunately it went over the fence in right field.” In game one, the Govs hit the ball well, pounding out 12 hits. However the consecutive game streak of hitting at least one home run in a game came to an end. So did the conference consecutive game win streak. The Govs did have the lead in this game through five innings. After Southern Union took a 1-0 lead in the first, the Govs scored two runs in the bottom of the second and two more in the bottom of third. The problem was that was all the scoring the Govs did for the entire game. The Bison on the other hand continued to add runs. One run in the fifth cut the lead in half, and three more in the sixth gave them the lead. Three runs in the top of the eighth virtually put the game away. Adam Oliver, who pitched 5 1/3 innings, took the loss for the Govs. Jermiah Smith, who pitched eight innings for Southern Union, got the win. “We just made too many mistakes in that first game,” Wallace coach Mackey Sasser said. “We hit the ball well, but we made too many fielding errors, especially in that one inning. But Hay pitched great for us in that second game.” The Govs will travel to Auburn-Montgomery Monday where they will take on Shelton State at 4 p.m. The Govs return to conference play next Friday and Saturday in Brewton when they take on Jeff Davis.