Griffons surrender six-run lead, fall to visiting Clarinda, 12-8

The Nevada Griffons and Clarinda (Iowa) A’s are extremely familiar with each other. The MINK League foes had already squared off four times through the first two weeks of the season, and again matched up Tuesday, with the A’s erasing an early six-run deficit en route to a 12-8 victory.
The A’s now lead the season series on Nevada 3-2, with one regular-season game remaining, on tap tonight at Lyons Stadium. The victory improves Clarinda to 8-8 in MINK League-play, while the loss drops the Griffons to 6-9.
Entering the contest Nevada had been baffled by Clarinda starter Josh Young, batting just .195 against the southpaw. Young entered Tuesday’s contest 2-0 against the Griffons, with a sparkling 2.38 ERA, and an 11 to 2 strikeout to walk ration in 11 1/3 innings of work.
Young, however, wasn’t as sharp as in his two previous appearances against the Griffons, yielding four runs in the opening frame. Young was partially undone by his defense, as shortstop Isaac Alexander had a woeful night in the field, committing five of Clainrda’s six errors on the night.
Three of Nevada’s four first inning runs were unearned, and the result of a pair of Alexander errors.
After cruising through the first, Nevada starter Nick Iossi allowed a run to come across on a wild pitch, as Clarinda trailed 4-1.
The Griffons struck back in the home-half of the second as catcher Lukas Polanco led off with a solo blast to left-center. The Griffons tacked on two more runs in the inning, via Domonique Hernandez’s RBI fielder’s choice groundout, followed by a two-out error on second baseman Waylan LeBlanc, leading to Ben Palensky scoring from third, lifting the Griffons to a 7-1 lead at the conclusion of two.
From there the tide turned quickly in favor of Clarinda, as A’s bats began to heat up in the third. A four-run inning was highlighted by Jamaal Chaney’s mammoth two-run blast, slicing the A’s deficit to 7-5.
The score remained that way until the top of the sixth, as Clarinda erupted for five runs in that frame.
Iossi allowed five earned in three innings of work, and was replaced by Nevada High School 2016 alum Derek O’Dell to open the fourth.
After a clean fourth inning, and a perfect fifth, O’Dell encountered major turbulence in the sixth.

The damage was done on Reid Bonner’s one-out, run-scoring single to left, Cole Frederick’s two-RBI rocket up the middle, and Chaney’s opposite field double to right-center as Clarinda went in front, 10-7.
A Bonner seventh-inning RBI-single off Pedro Astacio Jr. increased the A’s advantage to 11-7.
Nevada second baseman Connor Dupuy led off the eighth with a triple, and was plated on Tyler Schmidt’s double to left-center, cutting the A’s lead to 11-8.
Nevada was unable to get any closer, as the A’s tacked on a run in the ninth, via Kyle Norstrom’s wild pitch, for the final 12-8 margin.
Young took the no-decision, lasting just three innings while allowing seven runs — (three earned), while striking out three and walking three. Meanwhile, Clarinda middle reliever Orlando Ortiz was magnificent. Ortiz (1-1) entered in the fourth and tossed 4 1/3 perfect innings, striking out four, while recording the pitching victory.
Clarinda used two relief pitchers after Ortiz, before closer Nick Jones entered in the bottom of the ninth in a non-save situation. Jones, a lanky southpaw, proceeded to strike out the side, locking down the A’s eighth victory of the season.
For the Griffons O’Dell (0-1) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on five hits, while walking three and striking out a pair in three innings of work.
It was also a rocky outing for starter Iossi, who surrendered five runs and seven hits in three frames.
At the dish the Griffons collected just six hits, with no multi-hit performances.
Clarinda mashed to the tune of 16 hits, led by Bonner’s 4-for-5, two runs, two RBI performance. Chaney finished 2-for-6 and drove in four. In all, every player in Clarinda’s order recorded a hit, with five notching multi-hit performances.