Thursday, July 28, 2005
Yakima
Bears at Eugene Emeralds
recap | boxscore
| game log | photos
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Recaps and BMTG Notes and observations...
Yakima pitcher is the ghost of William Van Landingham.
Approximately 42% of the population of Southern Oregon is retarded in some capacity, probably due to something in the water.
Who's Batting For You?
Diesel - Hundley, C, #11
3 for 5, 2 doubles, run scored, strikeout (safe at first),
charged with passed ball that allowed a run to score.
Ahchie - Cavanaugh, DH, #12
0 for 3, 2 walks, strikeout, first fly out was on a great catch by centerfielder
Kevin Williams, #16
Throcksmorton - Davidson, LF, #14
0 for 5, 2 productive ground outs, 2 strikeouts
Brother Nature - Johnston, SS, #7
1 for 4, double, rbi, run scored,
was pinch hit for in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs, runners on 1st and
3rd, down 7 to 4
Worst player of the game: Emeralds thirdbaseman, #30 - Headley
caught stealing
charged with error when ball went under his glove
missed pop up foul ball
struck out three times and flied out to lead off the 9th
Guess the Attendance |
|
| Brother Nature | 3,220 |
| Throcksmorton | 3,111 |
| Ahchie | 2,492 |
| Diesel | 1,748 |
| ACTUAL | 3,319 |
Emeralds Profile - Nick Hundley
Hundley attended the University of Arizona in Tuscon, and was one of the finest catchers in the NCAA this past season. Hundley was a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given annualy to the top collegiate catcher. Although Hundley did not win the award, Jeff Clement of USC, the third overall pick in the draft did, he accomplished enough, hitting .352 with 15 homers and 46 RBI to become a 2nd round draft choice by the San Diego Padres in the 2005 First Year Player Draft.
Hundley had numerous Oregon ties. His parents, Tim and Pam, lived in Corvallis, where Nick was born, during a period when his father was the defensive coordinator for the Oregon State Beavers football team from 1984-89. Tim, the current defensive coordinator at UTEP was the defensive coordinator at Colorado and Washington before arriving in El Paso. Tim, a graduate of Forest Grove High School, was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame after an all-American career at Western Oregon University.
Nick was also drafted in 2002 in the 5th round by the Florida Marlins after a stellar career at Lake Washington High School in Seattle but he chose to attend Arizona and follow in his father's Pac-10 footsteps.
Bears scratch Emeralds
Tim Leonard / MLB.com
Chris Rahl smacked a run-scoring double in the eighth inning en route to a 7-4 victory over Eugene on Thursday.
Rahl's shot scored Michael Biguenet, snapping a 4-4 tie and sparking a three-run eighth for the Bears. Trey Hendricks brought in another run with a sacrifice fly and Joshua Ford plated Rahl with a single.
All three runs were charged to Emeralds reliever Adam Gold, who gave up four runs -- three earned -- in two innings of work. Gold (2-2) permitted six hits and walked one batter.
Yakima reliever Craig Pfautz tossed three shutout innings to earn his first win. Pfautz (1-1) surrendered three hits and a walk while striking out three.
Ford was one of four Bears with two hits, going 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Rahl was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Mike Sansoe and Nicholas Hundley each went 3-for-5 for the Emeralds.
Good news Bears bruise Ems again
Yakima and Eugene are both 16-21, but while the former is thinking penant
race, the latter is heading south in the West
By Steve Mims
The Register Guard
Yakima is 16-21 and two games out of first place in the East Division.
Eugene has a matching 16-21 record and sits eight games back in the West.
Such is the difference between the two Northwest League divisions this year as Yakima remained in last place but stayed close to first place with a 7-4 win over the Emeralds in front of 3,319 Thursday night at Civic Stadium.
With two straight wins over the Emeralds, Yakima figures it is a contender heading into the second half of the season despite its losing record. Yakima has won three of its last four games and had to rally from behind in each of those victories.
"If we can win each series, at least the next couple, we can be right there," Yakima manager Jay Gainer said.
The Bears need only one more victory to win the current series with the Emeralds.
"We've been struggling, but we've put together a couple wins to get some momentum," said right fielder Chris Rahl, who was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. "We're playing some good baseball and we hope to continue it.
"It is a matter of getting on a roll and showing how we can keep it going, and there is no telling where we can end up."
There really is no telling how the East Division is going to shake out, because no team is currently over .500. Boise leads the way at 18-19.
It is a different story in the West, where Vancouver leads at 24-13 and the Ems are the only team below .500.
Yakima has stayed within reach in the East thanks largely to its work on the road as the Bears are now 10-8 away from home and the only team in the division with a winning road record.
After defeating Eugene 6-5 in 11 innings in the series opener on Wednesday, the Bears reversed a recent trend by winning the second game of the series too.
"We had a little talk with the guys and told them we have only lost the first game of one series all year," Gainer said. "Then we tend to slide down each game. We wanted them to come out and play like they do in the first game."
Eugene led three different times before the Bears tied the game 4-4 in the top of the seventh. Yakima then took the lead with three runs in the eighth off reliever Adam Gold.
Mike Biguenot and Kevin Williams hit back-to-back singles with one out and Rahl followed with a double that scored Biguenot to give the Bears a 5-4 lead.
Reliever Adam Gold hit Derek Bruce with a pitch to load the bases. Trey Hendricks followed with a sacrifice fly to center that plated Biguenot before Josh Ford singled home Rahl to make it 7-4.
The Bears felt as though they overcame some adversity in the victory as Eugene scored twice in the bottom of the fourth after a controversial double by Seth Johnston.
Nick Hundley led off the fourth with a double before pitcher Chris Kemlo retired the next two batters.
Johnston followed with a double to left that scored Hundley to tie the game 2-2, but Gainer, Kemlo and catcher Josh Ford argued that the ball was foul when it passed third base. Plate umpire Brad Purdom ruled it a fair ball.
Daryl Jones followed with a single that scored Johnston to put the Ems ahead 3-2.
Yakima tied the game 3-3 in the top of the fifth, but the Ems went back ahead with a run in the bottom of the inning.
Chase Headley struck out, but reached first base when Kemlo threw a wild pitch on the third strike.
Hundley singled and Brian Cavanaugh walked to load the bases before Santiago Guerrero hit a sacrifice fly to put Eugene ahead 4-3.
Yakima tied the game with a run in the seventh off Gold, who took the loss and fell to 2-2. Yakima reliever Craig Pfautz pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory.
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