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Griffons manage split with last place Generals
Nevada Daily Mail
The Nevada Griffons 30th anniversary celebration didn't go quite as planned Tuesday evening as they had to settle for a twinbill split with the last place Ozark Generals at Lyons Stadium.
The Griffons lost the first game 3-2, while prevailing in extra innings in the nightcap, 2-1. Both contests were scheduled for seven innings.
The Generals entered the game with a lowly 5-18 record. On the flip side, the Griffons saw their six-game winning streak snapped Monday night after getting blanked on the road by the Joplin Outlaws, 3-0.
A Branson loss to the Outlaws Tuesday night, coupled with the Griffons split, keeps the Griffons a half-game up on Branson in the MINK League's south division.
The Griffons are now 13-9 overall (11-9 MINK League).
Game one
Most of the damage came in the top of the first inning off Griffons 6-foot-4 right-handed starting pitcher Tyler Fallwell.
With one out, Ozarks's Jake Stafford reached base after being hit by a Fallwell pitch. Tanner Allen followed in the order, doubling down the left line, advancing Stafford to third base.
With runners in scoring position, cleanup hitter John Lauro grounded out to second, scoring Stafford from third to hand the Generals a 1-0 lead.
Next to the plate, Andrew Kendrick out of Springfield, plated Allen from second with a double into the right-center field gap, putting Ozark on top 2-0. The inning came to a close with a Trevor Bowling groundout to shortstop.
Griffons third baseman Kurt Becker got things going in the bottom of the first with a 1-out double into left-center field ---- and later advancing to third base on a John Badgett wild pitch.
After a Taylor Walker ground out for the inning's second out, right fielder Dusty Wright reached via a walk. With runners on the corners, Cole Johnson flew out to center field, ending the inning.
The Generals tacked on a run in the top of third inning, after a Lauro single scored Charles Chavis from third base. Chavis had previously led off the inning with a single to center field off Fallwell. Lauro's RBI base hit gave the General's a 3-0 cushion.
The Griffons were unable to muster much offense, as they headed into the bottom of the seventh inning still trailing 3-0 ---- making it 15 straight innings since a Griffon had last touched home plate.
The Griffons ice cold bats thawed in a hurry against Generals closer Spencer Redmond. Anthony Davison and Jamie Graeser led off the seventh with back-to-back singles, followed by a Becker double down the right field line, scoring Davison, while advancing Graeser to third.
After three consecutive hits, Walker grounded into a fielders choice, scoring Graeser from third to trim the Ozark lead to 3-2. In addition, Becker advanced to third. Redmond then walked Dusty Wright putting runners on the corners for Ray Hutchison, who grounded back to the pitcher for the second out of the inning.
Redmond escaped from the jam after getting Jacob Bryant to ground out to the shortstop to end the game.
Fallwell (0-2) was tagged with the loss. Offensively, Becker was 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Davison was 2-for-3 with a run.
Nightcap
The Griffons prevailed in the second game courtesy of a seventh inning rally to force the game into extra frames.
Nevada bats were quiet throughout the majority of the contest as Ozark starting pitcher Jordan Norton carried a 1-0 shut out into the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Griffons were recipients of some good fortune to open the inning, as Austin Allison's grounder was misplayed by Chavis at second base after hitting the lip of the infield grass.
A Chris Kobar sacrifice bunt moved Allison into scoring position. Later in the inning, with two outs, a Seth Sims single back up the middle scored Allison from second to tie the game 1-1.
With the game still knotted up in the bottom of the ninth, Hutchison led off the inning with a walk. Allison followed in the order with a single.
Things got interesting when a Kobar bunt resulted in a throwing error by third baseman Kendrick, loading the bases with no outs.
With the Ozark infield playing in for the force out at home plate, Davison came through with a game-winning RBI single into center field.