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Despite Fonteboa's dinger, Griffons out-slugged by Sedalia
Although the Nevada Griffons lost their third straight MINK League contest Thursday night at Lyons Stadium, 15-7 to the Sedalia Bombers, it was not for lack of opportunity.
The offense out-hit the competition 13-11 and loaded the bases in three consecutive innings, Jesse Fonteboa hit his second home run of the season and finished a triple shy of the cycle, and heading into the final frame it was a one-run ballgame.
But a few walks, a couple of (un)timely hits, and one defensive miscue later, the Griffons found themselves in an eight-run hole they were unable to dig themselves out of — resulting in a 5-7 record and two-game deficit in the South Division standings.
“The most frustrating part is knowing that we can play better than we are,” said Griffons head coach Jason Jacome, whose squad left 15 runners on base and committed four errors on defense. “We’re just not putting it all together right now. So, it’s getting frustrating because the guys aren’t performing up to their capabilities. Hopefully we can have a little winning streak and string some together.”
According to Fonteboa, the team is just a few cleanly fielded ground balls away from having a winning record.
“Honestly, with our offense, we’re in it all the time,” said Fonteboa, after racking up four hits and a walk against the Bombers. “When we get our pitchers to throw strikes and get outs, I like our chances. We’ve got to start making the routine plays, and make them look routine. The spectacular plays are going to happen, and those are great, but the routine ones have got to be made if we want to win.”
For the first eight innings, Nevada went punch-for-punch with Sedalia (6-4).
The Bombers scratched across two runs in the opening inning against starting pitcher Will Jacobson, but Fonteboa drove in Kahle Good (who hit a one-out double) in the home half of the frame to immediately pull within one.
In the second inning, Sedalia scored one more, but Nevada turned a 6-4-3 double play with the bases loaded to limit the damage. The Griffons then scored one of their own when Jack Swisher hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly that allowed Chase St. Amand to come home. Once again, Nevada was within a run.
After a scoreless third, highlighted by Jacobson striking out the side with three knee-buckling curveballs, Sedalia scored two runs in the fourth to go up three.
Fonteboa crushed a fastball over the fence in left with one out in the fifth, but on a night when Nevada had plenty of runners on base, he did so without anybody on.
“I love hitting with people on base. It makes everything easier. But I’ll take it,” said Fonteboa, whose big day at the plate was one triple away from being really special. “I was not necessarily thinking about it, but it’s always there in the back of your head, for sure.”
Down two and with reliever Alec Telles holding Seneca at bay with a scoreless sixth and seventh, the Griffons looked poised to tie or take the lead when a two-out double by Swisher, hit-by-pitch by Good, and full-count walk by Fonteboa loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth. But a strikeout looking on a curveball stranded all three runners.
One inning later, a double play spoiled another bases-loaded opportunity for Nevada.
After the Bombers scored three in the eighth, the Griffons loaded them up again in the bottom of the inning — and finally cashed in some runs.
Swisher led off with a single to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Good then walked, before a single by Fonteboa put a runner at every base.
Braeden Hinton worked a full count and ripped a two-run liner to right. Fonteboa eventually scored when St. Amand reached on an error, and Nick Chavez brought Nevada within one by pinch-hitting and scoring Hinton on a sac fly.
Jacome brought in late-game specialist Xavier Fosbenner to limit Sedalia in the ninth — but things didn’t go as the skipper drew them up.
“Our plan was to have Fosbenner come in and hold them close, give us a chance to score a run or two in the ninth and tie it up or win it. Just things went haywire. Hit batters, walks, couldn’t make the play on a bunt, then they finally get a base hit that drives in everybody,” said Jacome, who watched Sedalia put the game out of reach with six runs on four hits (including a misplayed bunt), three walks, and a hit-by-pitch. “The plan was there. It was the right plan. It just didn’t work out for us in the end.”
Cameron Saso led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, and Good drew a walk, but two pop flies and a strikeout snuffed out any chance of a comeback.
Jacome said he would have liked to have been able to pinch-hit or pinch-run more in the game, but the suspensions of three of his players, plus a few injuries to others on the roster, left him with limited options.
“I’m hoping things will fall into place. Guys are still battling and doing all they can to win ball games. They’re working up here. It’s just, right now we’re in a tough spot,” said Jacome, who also wished Fonteboa could have hit his dinger when runners were on base — preferably three of them. “That’s the way it works in baseball. When you need a grand slam, you get a solo homer.”
If Nevada is to start turning things around, it will have to do so on the road. Starting with a doubleheader Saturday at the Des Moines Peak Prospects (who are in last place in the MINK North), the Griffons’ next eight games are away from Lyons Stadium.
“It’s been a little frustrating, for sure, but we’re just trying to keep plugging along,” Fonteboa said. “It’s still early, so hopefully we get things rolling here, and we should be pretty good.”