Griffons vie for title in Champion Diamonds NBC tourney

Friday night, the Nevada Griffons won their third game, played in span of about 30 hours, to advance to the championship round of the Tournament of Champions qualifying tournament for the NBC World Series. The winning team in the tournament, which is sponsored by Champion Diamonds, will receive $1,000 and perhaps more important, will become one of the 64 teams that will compete in the annual NBC World Series to be held August 2-16, in Wichita, Kan. In 2002 the Griffons placed third in the World Series behind two teams from Alaska. The Griffons beat the Springfield Generals, 8-1, Thursday afternoon at Champion Diamonds and on Friday defeated the Tallequah, Okla., Bandits, 9-0, at Lyon Stadium, in games shortened to seven innings by virtue of a rule that ends games with a 10-run margin after the fifth inning and those with a six run margin after the seventh inning. These wins moved the Griffons into the Battle of the Undefeated Friday night at Lyon Stadium where they squeaked by the second seeded Oklahoma Braves 11-9. The loss dropped the Braves into the loser bracket where they had to play the Springfield Generals at 9:30 Saturday morning to determine who would face the Griffons in the 1 p.m. championship game. In Friday night's game, the Griffons, who were selected as the home team by a coin toss, got off to a 4-0 lead in the first inning adding two more runs in the second for a 6-0 lead and looked like they were on their way to a third run shortened game. In the fourth inning. Griffons pitcher Mike Zagurski from Hutchinson Community College walked the Braves lead-off batter and Braves catcher Matt Miller blasted a home run over the left field fence to close the gap to 6-2. In the fifth inning, all thoughts of a shortened game were quashed when the Griffons let the Braves tie the game at 6-6. First baseman Gariun Davenport, the Braves lead off batter, walked and then moved to second when Zagurski threw a wild pitch and walked Braves shortstop Malcom Smith. An error by the catcher let Davenport, who had stolen third, score run number 3, and moved Smith, who had stolen second, to third. Center fielder Chuckie Caulfield was hit by a pitch putting runners on first and third with no outs. With Zagurski's control gone the Griffons brought in Evan Burgess from the Citadel to pitch to Bryce Columbus, the Braves designated hitter, who hit a bunt that sent Malcolm Smith home for run number 4. A single by Miller let Caulfield score run number 5 and a double by Cody Merrell, third base, let Columbus tie the score at 6-6. Cory Williamson hit a single, sending Miller home and giving the Braves a 7-6 lead. In the seventh inning, the Griffons catcher, Chad Steele, was hit by a pitch and shortstop Zach Hawks hit a hard line drive down the third base line for a triple to drive Steele home to tie the game at 7-7. The Braves picked up two more runs in the eighth inning for a 9-7 lead. Tim Law, the Griffons first baseman, hit a single up the middle, Eric Horstman walked and Kirk McConnell picked up a single to load the bases. A sacrifice fly to center field by Steele sent Law home to make the score 9-8. A single by Hawks let Horstman and McConnell give the Griffons a 10-9 lead. Brian Bugg, who replaced Kevin Bills in right field, walked and Clay Goodwin hit a ground ball to the short stop that let Hawks score run number 11. Mike Sillman came into the game to protect the Griffons lead in the ninth inning and pitched to three batters who went down in order with a fly to center field, a ground ball to third and a throw to first and a strike-out.