Griffons hold on late, top Bombers

RALPH POKORNY/DAILY MAIL Nevada Griffons first baseman AJ Krist is safe at second on a stolen base in the second inning of Friday's game with the Sedalia Bombers. The Griffons held on late for a 5-3 victory over the Bombers at Lyons Stadium.

By Jason Peake

Herald-Tribune

NEVADA -- Matt Lynch definitely made things interesting in the ninth inning.

Matt Lynch of Navarro College.

But the right-handed relief pitcher got a key strikeout to end the game, securing a thrilling 5-3 victory for the Nevada Griffons over the Sedalia Bombers on Friday night at Lyons Stadium.

The Bombers loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth, and had their designated hitter, Matt Skipper at the plate. But Lynch took a deep breath, gathered himself, and with two strikes, threw a heater past Skipper to end the game.

"I got a fastball inside for the last call," Lynch said. "I hit the spot...he didn't want to swing."

Stu Jeck catches a fly ball on Friday night.

After seeing the Bombers win in their last at-bat Thursday night, the Griffons almost saw the same thing happen Friday. With one out in the ninth, Sedalia's Dylan Mays singled and then Travis McComack walked. After Lynch struck out Trey Massenburg swinging on a 3-2 count, he walked Logan Pearson to load the bases.

"I was off the plate a little bit," Lynch said. "I got out away from a couple guys, but I got back in the zone at the end. It worked out."

Sedalia's Skipper, a 6-foot-9 power hitter, came to bat with a chance to be the hero. But Skipper watched the final strike go by with the tying run in scoring position, and the Griffons held on for a tense victory. Skipper slammed his bat to the ground and argued the call as the Griffons celebrated the win.

Griffons Coach Ryan Mansfield said it was tough to watch the game almost slip away in the ninth.

"That's why coaches have ulcers," Mansfield said. "And if coaches don't have grey hair, they will shortly. That's why."

Nevertheless, the Griffons earned the win, and extended their lead over the Bombers in the South Division of the MINK League by three games. The Griffons are now 14-7, while Sedalia slips to 8-7.

The Griffons broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third against Bombers right-hander Kurtis Schuyler. With one out, Eric Sousanes reached on an infield single. After an out, Rick Hepworth lined a single into right. Next, AJ Krist slapped an RBI single into left, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. Sedalia avoided further damage when Curtiss Bunch made a nice play on Patrick Kregeloh's grounder up the middle to retire the side.

Three-straight hits in the top of the fifth against Griffons lefty Joey Parrack allowed Sedalia to tie the game, with Mays hitting an RBI single to center. Griffons center fielder Stu Jeck attempted a diving catch, but he was unable to haul it in.

Mays went to second after the ball got past Jeck. Later in the inning, Massenburg's RBI groundout gave the Bombers a 2-1 lead.

The Griffons tied it up in the fifth. Tyler Palmer was hit by a pitch and then came home on Hepworth's drive to deep right. The fly ball hit off the right fielder's arm and dropped, making it 2-2.

Ryan Reddick's sac fly gave Sedalia a 3-2 lead in the sixth. Parrack then got out of trouble, taking advantage of an inning-ending double play.

The Griffons tied it up in the seventh. Matt Burns flared a double into the gap in right-center. After Jeck walked, Sousanes laid down a sac bunt to move the runners over.

Palmer struck out, but Hepworth drove in the tying run with an infield single. Sedalia second baseman Bunch made a nice stop to keep the ball on the infield.

After Krist walked, Kregeloh then drew a walk, allowing Jeck, the go-ahead run to score, making it 4-3 in favor of the Griffons. Sedalia then made a pitching change, bringing in Brett Thomas. Thomas retired Jesse Solar to get out of the inning.

Nevada handed the ball to the 6-foot-1 Lynch in the eighth and he sent down the Bombers one-two-three.

The Griffons kept all the momentum in the bottom half.

Brad Wilson singled, Burns sacrificed and then Jeck lined an RBI single up the middle for a 5-3 lead. A Pittsburg Colgan product, Jeck took second on the throw home.

Palmer walked, but Hepworth struck out. Still, the Griffons extended the lead in the inning.

In the ninth, the Bombers had their chances, but Lynch got the big out with the strikeout.

Parrack, who plays for West Virginia, earned the win. He went seven solid innings, allowing just three earned runs.

A Navarro College product and Flint,Texas native, Lynch got the save. He struck out three in two innings.

Hepworth had three hits and one RBI. Krist, Burns, Jeck, and Kregeloh had the other RBIs.

Mansfield said he was proud of how his team was able to get the big hits when they needed them.

"We got some clutch hits, top to bottom," Mansfield said. "Our guys stuck with it and did a heck of a job."

As far as the nerve-racking ending, Mansfield said, "We've got a lot of guys back from last year's team, so they never do things the easy way. I guess that's the way we do it."

Both teams had lots of early opportunities.

But both teams failed to cash in most of the time. The Bombers stranded two in the first and fifth, while the Griffons stranded two in the second and two in the third.

For the game, the Griffons left 11 on base, while the Bombers stranded 10. Kyle Hardy and Mays each had two hits apiece for Sedalia.

The Griffons and Bombers played each other four times this week, with the Griffons winning Tuesday and Friday, and the Bombers winning Wednesday and Thursday.

Notes: Griffons catcher Palmer was plunked twice. Solar made a diving catch in left in the seventh near the warning track.

It was Hoffman Financial Resources Night at the stadium. Eric and Anthony Hoffman threw out the first pitches. There was free admission to the game, and the announced attendance was 475. It's also Parent's Weekend. Friday's start time was pushed back after the umpires were a bit late to the game due to traffic.

The Griffons, ranked 30th in the nation by Perfect Game USA, are at Joplin tonight. The team is home on Sunday night against St. Joseph at 7 p.m.

Friday's result

Griffons 5, Bombers 3

SE 000 021 000 -- 3 9 0

NE 001 010 21x -- 5 11 2

WP: Parrack. LP: Schuyler. SV: Lynch.

Griffons pitching

Parrack --7IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 2K.

Lynch --2IP, 1H, 2BB, 3K.

Sedalia pitching

Schuyler -- 6.2IP, 9H, 4ER, 3BB, 4K.

Thomas -- 1.1IP, 2H, 1ER, 1BB, K.

Griffons boxscore

AB R H RBI

Hepworth 5 0 3 1

MINK League glance

Friday's scores

Nevada 5, Sedalia 3

Chillicothe 3, Clarinda 2

St. Joseph 10, Ozark 0

St. Joseph, Ozark, Gm. 2, late

Thursday's scores

Sedalia 5, Nevada 4

St. Joseph 5, Ozark 3

Chillicothe, Joplin, ppd.

Wednesday's scores

Sedalia 7, Nevada 4

Chillicothe 6, Joplin 1

Clarinda 2, Omaha 1

Tuesday's scores

Nevada 13, Sedalia 2

Chillicothe 2, Joplin 1

Upcoming schedule

Today's games

Ozark at Chillicothe

Sedalia at St. Joseph

Nevada at Joplin, 7

Sunday's games

Ozark at Chillicothe

St. Joseph at Nevada, 7

Omaha at Clarinda

MINK LEAGUE STANDINGS