WNC Baseball: Wildcats rally late but can't avoid sweep
Submitted by editor on Sat, 04/11/2015 - 7:44pm
A two-out, seventh-inning rally was just what the doctor ordered for the struggling Western Nevada College Wildcats on Saturday at Cate Field in West Jordan, Utah.
Kody Reynolds and DJ Peters hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh inning to put the Wildcats of Carson City in front 5-4. However, Salt Lake Community College delivered a two-out rally of its own in the ninth inning to pull out a 6-5 Scenic West Athletic Conference baseball victory.
Reliever Josh Mill retired the first two Bruins in the ninth, but a walk to Michael Macove, a double by Skyler Mahoney and a game-winning single by Garrett Bushman gave Salt Lake a series sweep of the Wildcats.
WNC's SWAC record slipped to 11-13 with eight conference games remaining. The Wildcats are 24-20 overall.
WNC opened the scoring when Austin Andrews knocked in Reynolds with a second-inning base hit. Later in the same inning, Blake Morin singled to fill the bases, but Salt Lake got out of the jam with a double play.
Salt Lake also picked up its first run in the second, scoring on a two-out double by Joe Barlow.
WNC starter Ty Fox allowed just one hit through the first three innings.
In the fourth, David Modler walked and moved to second on a Jared White wild pitch. Andrews put down a sacrifice bunt to send Modler to third, and White's second wild pitch of the inning allowed Modler to score the go-ahead run.
Salt Lake put together its best threat in the fourth as the first two batters reached base. A two-run single by Macove gave Salt Lake its first lead, 3-2. Mahoney drove in the third run of the inning with a fielder's choice, but Fox avoided more damage by retiring Zac Willis, who had been a thorn in the Wildcats' side the previous two days, with the bases loaded.
Salt Lake started the fifth the same way it began the fourth, with its first two hitters getting on base, but Fox responded by setting down the next three Bruin hitters, keeping the Wildcats within two runs.
WNC chipped away at the Bruin lead in the sixth as the Wildcats scored a run without the benefit of a hit. Modler walked, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Andrews and scored on a Morin squeeze bunt, trimming Salt Lake's lead 4-3.
After the Wildcats went ahead in the seventh, Salt Lake came right back to knot the score. Barlow's second double of the game plated Chris Fougner, who reached on a single and advanced two bases on wild pitches.
Mill (0-1) made his fifth appearance of the season, relieving Fox to start the seventh. Fox gave up six hits and three earned runs in six innings. He walked four and struck out one.
The Wildcats executed five sacrifice bunts, with Andrews leading the way with two. WNC continues its 16-game SWAC road swing with a four-game series at Colorado Northwestern starting Friday.
