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Griffons can't hold off Liberal in series opener
By Joe Warren
Nevada Daily Mail
The Nevada Griffons built a 7-3 lead after five innings thanks in large part to two home runs by Tim Santiago, but they couldn't hold off the Liberal Bee Jays at Lyons Stadium Friday.
The Bee Jays scored nine runs in the final four innings to take a 12-8 Jayhawk League road victory -- only their second of the season.
The Bee Jays came into the game with a 1-9 mark on the road in league play, but improved to 23-20 overall, 16-13 in the league as they roughed up Nevada pitching.
Chris Klick started and didn't look particularly sharp, throwing 46 pitches in the first two innings, but he still held Liberal to only three runs in the first five innings.
In the sixth, Liberal got a single run to cut the lead to three, and then knocked Klick out in the seventh after a home run by Wyn Diggs (his second of the game) and a single by Evan McArthur.
The Nevada bullpen then imploded as Nate Rowe gave up a double to his only batter faced, and Brandon Boyer (1-1) allowed a two-run double by Matt Richardson and an RBI single by E.J. Bracamonte. That gave Liberal an 8-7 lead.
The Bee Jays added two more in the eighth off Brandon Wellborn and two more in the ninth off Luke Stahl for the final margin.
"We had the game," Nevada head coach John Hill III said afterwards. Hill was tossed from the game in the ninth inning when he argued that Tim Santiago was hit by a pitch and the umpire called it a foul ball. After the game Santiago's left thumb was swollen to twice the size of his right one.
"Our offense finally came around in the last couple of days," Hill said. "We have been sorely lacking in the pitching category."
Santiago was a big part of the offensive breakout Friday. He hit an opposite field solo home run to right in the fourth inning and a three-run jack that he hammered to left in the fifth.
The long flies gave Santiago 10 home runs this season. He said that he finally was feeling 100 percent after fracturing his wrist this spring while playing with Bossier Parrish Community College in Louisiana.
"The past week or so, I've been feeling like my body's been doing what my mind wants it to," Santiago said. "It's the first time (since the injury) I've felt like my mind and body are in sync."
True to form for the Griffons this season, a hot hitter suffered an injury when Santiago was hit by the pitch. He finished the at bat but struck out while visibly favoring his left hand.
If Santiago has to miss any time, he would join Eli Rumler, Tony Lewis, Al Smith and Trent Thompson as hitters batting over .300 to go down with an injury. Add Spencer Pennington to the list (quit) and six of the seven hitters batting over .300 this season would no longer be available for Nevada. The only other .300 hitter on the roster is catcher Michael Flower (.326) and he may want to wear his catchers gear at the plate to try and avoid the bug decimating the Griffons.
With the loss, Nevada fell to 25-21, 12-19 this season.
The Griffons and Bee Jays played a doubleheader Saturday and close the series Sunday at 7 p.m. for Nevada Daily Mail/Nevada News Night, with free admission to Lyons Stadium.