Nevada Griffons drop nail-biter to Omaha, 7-6
By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
After an unexpected three days off, the Nevada Griffons baseball team got back into action Thursday night, hosting the Omaha Diamond Spirit, out of the MINK League's North Division.
Originally, the Griffons were scheduled to have one day off Monday and another Wednesday, with a game on Tuesday, but the first rainout of the year for the Griffons turned that into a three-day break, as Tuesday's game at Sedalia was called off. The Griffons had hoped to get that game in for more reasons than the simple fact that the season is short and make-up dates tend to be hard to come by, but Mother Nature simply wouldn't allow it.
Even more prominent a reason for the Griffons wanting to get that game in was the simple fact that head coach Ryan Mansfield's squad put on a forgettable, at best, performance the last time it was on the field. That last outing was Sunday, when the Griffons committed seven errors in a 9-6 home loss to the Joplin Outlaws that dropped them to 4-4, two and a half games out of the lead in the MINK League South Division.
The Diamond Spirit gave the Griffons a good chance to erase the bad memories from that performance -- at least, on paper -- as they brought a 3-7 League record into the contest. That didn't ultimately turn out to matter, however, as the Diamond Spirit scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning and held on to take the victory by a final score of 7-6.
The Griffons found themselves in a bit of a unique position as Thursday's contest began, since Mansfield was reportedly suffering from tonsillitis, which kept him off of the field for the night. In his absence, the Griffons were led through the contest by assistant coach Zach Stuart, while Stuart's usual spot in the first-base coach's box was occupied by Jimmy Spanos.
That different coaching look didn't seem to affect the Griffons much, as they were able to get to Omaha starting pitcher Wes Todd early in the contest. After leadoff hitter Taylor Love was retired on a weak groundout, the Griffons went on to string together four hits that ultimately turned into a pair of runs to give Nevada the early, 2-0 lead.
The Diamond Spirit threatened to cut into that lead in the top of the second after Jordyn Van Atta appeared to be caught trying to steal second, but was called safe. The Griffons and starting pitcher Marcus Ethan got out of the inning with no damage, however, as Ethan retired the Diamond Spirit in order from there, to preserve the two-run lead.
In the very next inning, however, the Diamond Spirit got to Ethan and the Griffons' defense, and did so emphatically, loading the bases before the first out was recorded. By the time the inning came to an end, head coach Adam Steyer's squad turned that into five runs on four hits and a pair of Nevada errors to give Omaha a 5-2 lead.
The Griffons threatened to return the favor in the home half of the fourth as they opened the inning with a pair of singles to give them runners on first and second with no outs. Though the Griffons did eventually get one run out of the deal when Gerardo Arzaga scored on a wild pitch, a timely double play -- the second of the night for the Diamond Spirit -- put a stop to the threat, allowing Omaha to maintain a two-run lead.
For the third time this season, Griffons right fielder Cody Farrell showed off his power, as he completed the comeback in one swing, blasting his third home run of the season into the trees behind the left field fence to drive in Jordan Taylor and tie the game in the fifth inning. Though that homer came before the first out of the inning was recorded, Todd was able to recover quickly, putting the Griffons down with no more damage and keeping his squad in a 5-5 deadlock.
That deadlock didn't last long, however, as the Diamond Spirit finally brought an end to Ethan's day on the mound in the sixth inning, after he allowed Omaha to load the bases with two outs. Though the go-ahead run didn't score until reliever Jared Keating walked pinch hitter Jon Needels, it was still charged to Ethan, bringing an end to his night after allowing six runs -- five earned -- on seven hits with seven strikeouts, two walks and a hit batter in 6 2/3 innings.
An unearned run got the Griffons right back in the contest in the home half of the seventh inning, when the Diamond Spirit encountered a bit of defensive trouble of their own. Daniel Midyett led off the inning for the Griffons and gave the ball a ride, ultimately making his way to second base after Dylan Steyer dropped the ball on the warning track in right field.
Though Diamond Spirit reliever Seth Heckel was able to recover and record three consecutive outs from there, Midyett was ultimately able to come around and score, knotting the game up once again, at 6-6.
The Diamond Spirit took the lead for the final time in the top of the ninth inning, when Stuart went to his bullpen for the second time in the game and Bryce Davis allowed the seventh run of the night for the visitors on Harrison Crawford's sacrifice fly to center that scored Darius Knight. Though the run was allowed by Davis, it was charged to Keating, ultimately putting him on the hook for the loss, as the Diamond Spirit held on to take the contest by a final score of 7-6.
Keating finished the night allowing one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 2 2/3 innings of work in the losing effort. Heckel, on the other hand, allowed one unearned run on one hit in his three innings of work to take the win.
Though the Griffons ultimately came out on the short end of the final score, the offense wasn't the issue. By the time all was said and done, the Griffons actually outhit Omaha, 13-9, but the two costly errors in the third inning turned out to be the difference maker.
With the loss, the Griffons fell to 5-5 overall, 4-5 in MINK League play and are scheduled to get right back into action on Friday, hosting the Diamond Spirit again on Friday. First pitch in that contest is set for 7 p.m., at Lyons Stadium.