Griffons deal Mustangs 7-3 loss in home finale

Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail/ Cody Farrell squares up a pitch during Sunday's game with the Branson Nationals. Farrell was named the MINK League offensive Player of the Week, as he hit .486 (17-for-35).

Nevada Daily Mail

A four-run second inning propelled the Nevada Griffons to a 7-3 defeat of the visiting St. Joseph Mustangs.

The Tuesday night home-finale was a preview of Friday's MINK League championship game, as the Griffons travel to St. Joseph for the 7 p.m. contest.

With the victory, the Griffons finish the regular season 27-15 overall (24-15 MINK League).

Due to the high number of rain outs this season, the MINK League championship, featuring the winners of the league's north and south divisions, has been changed from a best-of-three series to winner-take-all.

In addition, the winner of the MINK League championship game will be the only team traveling to the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita (July 24 - Aug. 8).

According to MINK League President and Griffons General Manager Jeff Post, the MINK League has lost one of its two berths in the 2015 NBC World Series.

For the last several years the MINK League has been guaranteed two berths in the NBC World Series, which begins Friday night.

The MINK League second place finishing team would play the first week and the winner of the MINK League championship series would wait until the second week of NBC World Series action.

This year, because of the numerous rain outs delaying the league championship series, the MINK League was unable to guarantee that there would be a team available to play at 10 p.m., Saturday.

Tuesday, the NBC decided to award the second berth to another league, leaving the MINK League with only the league champion team going to the World Series.

Home finale

Griffons designated hitter Taylor Walker led off the bottom of the second inning with a double into the right-center field gap. Walker's extra base hit was his eighth double of the season.

With one out in the inning, Dusty Wright reached on an infield single, advancing Walker to third base. Mustangs starting pitcher Mitchell Steinhoff then issued a four-pitch walk to Chris Kobar, loading the bases.

Immediately following, Griffons second baseman Seth Sims plated Walker and Wright with a double into right-center field, putting Nevada on top 2-0.

With runners in scoring position, Tyler Bodenstab's infield single scored Kobar from third, to hand the Griffons a 3-0 lead. Nevada third baseman Kurt Becker joined in on the hit parade, with a single to right field, scoring Sims from third, as Nevada jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Becker's RBI was his 21st of the year.

Griffons starting pitcher Colten Poellinger, encountered some trouble in the top of the fourth, as the Mustangs loaded the bases with no outs. A Jordan Powell groundout resulted in St. Joe's first run of the game, as they trailed 4-1. Poellinger escaped the inning when shortstop Jacob Bryant and Sims turned a double play.

The Mustangs crept to within a run in the top of the fifth, with both Orencio Fisher and and Anthony Maselli touching home plate. Maselli was brought home by a Josh Cassidy RBI single, trimming the Griffons lead to 4-3.

Poellinger's night would be finished after five innings, as he was charged with two earned runs while striking out six and walking two.

The Griffons did the rest of their damage in the bottom of the fifth. After reaching on a one out double, Becker later came around to score on a wild pitch, as the Griffons led 5-3. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Bryant drew a walk, brining in Cody Farrell, as the Griffons increased their lead to 6-3.

The final run of the night came courtesy of a Cole Johnson sacrifice fly to shallow right field, scoring Wright, for a 7-3 lead.