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| Wallace splits with Jeff Davis | 2009-04-11 |
| In the first game, the Wallace Govs simply got beat. Yes, the Govs were able to sprinkle in a few late hits and a few meaningless runs. All that did was make the final score look a little closer than the game actually was. In the end, the Jeff Davis Warhawks totally manhandled the Govs in route to a 9-3 win. | |
.JPG) But the second game went on and on and on and on and on. The first game was a scheduled nine in contest. The second game was scheduled for seven. But it ended up going 11 innings before a single run crossed the plate. The Govs managed to push across that run in the bottom of the 11th and take a 1-0 victory and earn the split.The end finally came when Loenardo Lamarche led off with an infield single to third base. With the Warhawks expecting a bunt, T.J. Rivera crossed them up when he lined a solid single to center field. The situation called for another bunt, and Matt Gannon delivered. Even though the Warhawks knew what was coming, eventual losing pitcher Hunter Norris hesitated briefly before throwing to third base. The result was everybody was safe. The Govs had been unable to capitalize on this game-winning type of situation earlier in the game, but this time Zigmond Vanderwall quickly took all the suspense away. Vanderwall belted a solid single to right field to plate Lamarche for the game’s only run and the Govs win. This second game was an outstanding pitching duel. Tyler Claburn pitched seven scoreless innings for the Govs before he was relieved by eventual winner Daniel Vargasvilla. Claburn only allowed two hits. Shane Ikner pitched nine scoreless innings for the Warhawks and he too only allowed two hits. The Govs had opportunities to win the game before the 11th, but actually ran themselves out of the innings. The most glaring opportunity came in the bottom of the seventh and would have avoided extra innings. The Govs had the bases loaded and only one out. Ryan Rennspies hit a high pop-up that landed just a few feet in front of home plate. The umpire correctly yelled “infield fly—batter is out.” But when the ball dropped in front of several infielders, for some reason the base runners took off. Lead runner Niosergy Rosa (who had doubled to start the inning) was tagged out. The end result was a double play and Wallace did not score. The very next inning, Chris Sasser led off with a walk. Then before another pitch was even thrown, Sasser took off for second base. He was easily picked off. The Govs also got lead-off batter Daniel Fuller on in the 10th inning when he singled and made it to second on a ground out. But the next two batters couldn’t get him in. “It took us 11 innings and 13 left of base, but we finally got the job done,” said Wallace coach Mackey Sasser. “We couldn’t get the big hit, and then we just did some crazy stuff. These guys have got to learn to concentrate. It seems like it’s getting harder and harder for guys to concentrate at this level.” Despite all the mental errors, there was one thing Sasser had praise for. “Claburn did an outstanding job on the mound for us. We just couldn’t get any hits for him. In the first game, the Warhawks scored seven runs in the third inning off losing pitcher Adam Oliver. Even though five of the runs were unearned, the game was pretty much over after that. The Govs did get a late-inning two-run homer from Rivera and an RBI single from Rennspies, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The split means the Govs still won the conference series 2-1. Wallace is alone in first place in the Southern Division with a record of 13-4, and 27-13 overall. The Govs are scheduled to play in Tifton Tuesday afternoon against Abraham-Baldwin, and host Central Alabama next weekend. Nathaneil Frazier is Sports Information Director for Wallace Community College baseball. He can be reached at NFrazier@DothanEagle.com . | |
| © Wallace Community College |
