Griffons take 2 of 3 from Mudcats

Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail Griffons third baseman Josh Samuelson connects for a sacrifice fly to right field in the ninth inning of Sunday's game with the Mudcats, scoring AJ Krist from third for the game-winning run.

Nevada Daily Mail

NEVADA -- The Nevada Griffons summer collegiate baseball team wrapped up a three-game series with the Chillicothe Mudcats on a positive note on Monday at Lyons Stadium.

The Griffons rallied and then held on late for a 9-7 victory, scoring seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

Nevada's Eric Sousanes is safe at home on a steal in the seventh inning on Sunday night.

With the win, the Griffons improved to 12-5 in the MINK League and won the series with the Mudcats, taking two out of three.

The Griffons got on the board in the second inning against Cole Isom. Matt Burns walked, and MJ Sartin followed with an RBI double. Nevada added a run in the third. Eric Sousanes doubled and then AJ Krist was retired. Sousanes went to third on a wild pitch and then scored on Tyler Palmer's RBI single to make it 2-0.

The Mudcats touched Tommy Bush for three runs in the fifth inning on two hits and an error, giving the visitors a 3-2 lead.

The score held up until the seventh when the Griffons got going with three runs. Burns and Sartin both walked. Brad Wilson was retired, but he moved the runners over. Jesse Solar then hit an RBI single. Sousanes hit a sac fly to give the Griffons a 4-3 lead. After Krist walked, Palmer hit his second RBI single to make it 5-3 in favor of the host Griffons.

A four-run eighth gave the Griffons some insurance runs and some breathing room. Josh Samuelson, Burns and Sartin all singled to load the bases. Wilson then connected for a two-run double. Solar's sacrifice scored Sartin. Wilson then came home on Sousanes' groundout. That made it 9-3 heading into the ninth.

Chillicothe made things interesting in the top of the ninth, as Isaac Smith hit a two-run homer. The Mudcats added two more runs before the Griffons got the final out to secure the win. Chillicothe had the tying run on base, but Griffons pitcher Ron Johnson got the final out.

Palmer, a catcher from Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kan. who is headed to Oklahoma State, had three hits. Sartin added two hits.

Martin Martinez got the win on the mound for Nevada and Johnson earned the save.

The teams split the first two games of the series, with Chillicothe winning on Saturday and the Griffons earning a come-from-behind win on Sunday. (Recaps of those games are below)

The Griffons are home again tonight for the fourth night in-a-row. Sedalia is tonight's opponent, with a 7 p.m. start time scheduled.

Monday's result

Griffons 9, Mudcats 7

CH 000 030 004 -- 7 11 0

NE 011 000 34x -- 9 11 1

WP: Martinez. LP: Isom. SV: Johnson.

Griffons leaders

2B: Sousanes, Sartin, Wilson.

Griffons pitching

Bush -- 5IP, 4H, 3R, 2BB, 5K.

Martinez -- 2IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 0K.

Lynch -- 1.2IP, 3H, 2ER, 3BB, 3K.

Johnson -- 0.1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K.

Sunday's result

The Griffons knocked off Chillicothe 6-5 on Sunday night, winning it in the bottom of the ninth.

The game was tied at five when the Griffons came to bat in the ninth.

Krist singled, Rick Hepworth walked and then Palmer singled to load the bases.

Next, Samuelson's sac fly scored Krist and the Griffons won in walk-off fashion.

Sartin's home run in the eighth also proved key.

For the game, Sousanes, Krist, Palmer and Sartin had two hits apiece. Mathew Lynch earned the win on the mound. He went one inning and allowed nothing.

The Griffons had to rally to get the win, as the Mudcats led 4-1 in the second. The hosts scored four runs in the final three innings.

Sunday's linescore

Griffons 6, Mudcats 5

CH 040 000 010 -- 5 9 3

NE 100 100 211 -- 6 13 2

WP: Lynch. LP: Harrison.

Griffons leaders

2B: Hepworth, Palmer. HR: Sartin. RBI: Krist, Samuelson, Burns, Sartin.

LOB: 10

Griffons pitching

Parrack -- 5IP, 8H, 2ER, 2BB, 1K.

Barr -- 3IP, 1H, 1ER, 2BB, 3K.

Lynch -- 1IP, 0H, 0ER, 0BB, 0K.

Saturday's results

The Griffons began the three-game series with Chillicothe on Saturday night. The visiting Mudcats won the game 6-1.

Nevada struggled offensively with just four hits against Chillicothe's Sam Wood, who earned a complete game win. Wood struck out six and walked just one.

Lucas Schiraldi took the loss for the Griffons, but he allowed just three earned runs in five innings on the mound. Schiraldi struck out five. Four Griffons -- Burns, Solar, Sousanes, Colton Bessett -- had one hit apiece. Nevada's only run of the game came in the seventh. Burns doubled with one out. After an out, Sousanes hit an RBI double. Sousanes was out trying to stretch the double into a triple.

Saturday's linescore

Chillicothe 6, Nevada 1

CH 101 110 020 -- 6 7 0

NE 000 000 100 -- 1 4 1

WP: Wood. LP: Schiraldi.

Griffons leaders

2B: Burns, Sousanes. RBI: Sousanes. LOB: 4.

Griffons pitching

Schiraldi -- 5IP, 5H, 3ER, 4BB, 5K.

Johnson -- 2IP, 1H, 0ER, BB, 2K.

McDaniel -- 1IP, 1H, 2ER, 2BB, 0K.

Heissler -- 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K.