Griffons win home opener 8-0

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Photos by Lynn A. Wade/Daily Mail-- Mike Ratigan throws a mid-game strike. The Griffons rotated pitchers each inning of Tuesday's game, and in a post-game interview, Griffons Head Coach John Hill praised the pitching efforts by the players.

The Nevada Griffons started off their season on a high note Tuesday night with an 8-0 win over the Ozark Generals.

Most of the game turned out to be a pitchers' duel, with Nevada using a different pitcher in each inning. Both starting pitchers got off to a solid start in the first inning, allowing no runs and no hits, with one walk by Generals starter Zak Kinnison.

But, the tides turned for both teams in the second inning when Ozark outfielder Kendall Finley was hit by a pitch and Nevada's second pitcher of the night allowed a bunt single and a walk in the top half of the inning, followed by a strong 4-run rally by Nevada in the bottom half.

Griffons catcher Robbie Robinson crosses home plate in the first of eight runs by the Nevada Griffons, during the second inning of Tuesday night's home opener at Lyons Stadium.

The third inning started off with more pitching woes for Nevada, including another hit batsman and a walk, but luck was on Nevada's side and the Generals ended the inning scoreless. Nevada's offense stalled out, only putting the ball in play once in the inning and finishing with no runs, no hits, and two strikeouts.

The fourth inning looked like it may bring about a turn in the game when Nevada's fourth pitcher of the night surrendered a walk and a long line drive into left field, but that was caught by a diving John Wagle, saving a run.

Both teams stayed fairly quiet from that point on until the sixth inning when Nevada's pitching hit yet another batter, Eric Tennyson. Nevada was able to recover though, allowing just one hit in the inning, while notching two more strikeouts and no runs. Ozark's poor defense helped the Griffons even more in the bottom half of the inning, with the Generals committing three errors and allowing a hit, a walk, and a run, along with tacking on one strikeout.

Nevada came to life again in the bottom half of the eighth inning, with three hits, including an RBI triple from Wagle, one walk and three runs, after shutting down Ozark completely in the top of the frame. Ozark yet again seemed to be shooting themselves in the proverbial foot with a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth.

The ninth inning showcased the only two stolen bases of the game, both by Ozark, along with a hit and a walk. The Generals just couldn't seem to get anything else going though, falling 8-0 in the end.

In a post-game interview with the Daily Mail, Griffons Head Coach John Hill III showed very obvious satisfaction in his team's performance in this first game of the year. "I expected us to score three or four runs in our first game," Hill said. Coach Hill emphasized that he was very impressed with the way his team pitched, given the large number of pitchers that were being used in the game, and expects the hitting to improve significantly with practice.

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