By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Nevada’s Griffons, coming off a “lost weekend” in the non-pro baseball Jayhawk League, found an antidote on Monday night in the Joplin Slashers.
Nevada, scoring three runs in the sixth inning to snap a 2-2 tie, beat Joplin 5-2 at Joe Becker Stadium.
Nevada, which lost three league games at defending champion Derby over the weekend, improved to 8-3 overall and 6-3 in the Jayhawk. Joplin fell to 3-6, 2-6.
Nevada, aggressive on the bases, parlayed solid pitching, an errorless defense and 11 hits into its second victory of the season at Joplin.
Right-hander Michael Ratigan, who allowed two runs in the third, worked 5 1/3 innings for his second win of the season without a loss. Left-hander Brett Carroll followed by permitting a harmless hit in 2 1/3 frames and right-hander Patrick Lemmond, a standout out of the bullpen for Ouachita Baptist in the spring, finished for his first Griffon save.
“Hats off to the Nevada pitchers,” Joplin coach Denny Vilela said. “They threw very well (limiting the Slashers to six hits).
“But we just didn’t get it done on offense,” Vilela said. “We again had bad approaches at the plate. We aren’t making adjustments.
“The pitching was OK,” Vilela said. “Still, from a pitching standpoint — and I don’t want to be negative — the fifth and sixth innings (middle relief) have been our Achilles heel frequently this season.”
Shortstop Andrew Thigpen was hit by a pitch to start the Nevada sixth. Right-hander Josh Cruse retired two batters — Thigpen advancing to third — before catcher Daniel Dellasega lined a run-scoring single.
Dellasega, from St. Mary’s-Colgan and Kansas State, moved to second on a wild pitching before scoring on a single by right fielder Tyler Reddick.
Reddick moved up on the throw home and tallied on left fielder Eric DeBlanc’s double off right-handed reliever Lee Henry.
Henry allowed only one more hit in 2 1/3 innings and struck out four.
Joplin, in its third, took a 2-1 lead on a walk to first baseman Kevin Enkelman, a sacrifice by left fielder Jeffery Meadows, a bad-hop single by center fielder Jared DeLong, a run-scoring single by second baseman Patrick Walsh and a run-scoring ground-out by right fielder Will McGinnis.
Reddick finished with three hits and three runs scored. Center fielder Brian Bello, who twice drove in Reddick, joined second baseman Tommy Fitzgerald with two Nevada hits.
Third baseman Mick Doyle was the only Joplin player with two hits.
Notes: Joplin remains at Joe Becker tonight to start a three-game league series with El Dorado. Slasher right-hander Cody Kelley is scheduled to make the first pitch at 7 p.m. ... The Griffons visit the Ozark Generals tonight at 7 for a non-league game that will find southpaw Harrison Waters (Republic High School and Drury University) starting on the mound for Nevada. ... Griffon coach John Hill said his team has been errorless in all eight wins. ... The Slashers’ Meadows made a diving catch in left center to rob Trevor Geist of a possible run-scoring safety in the fifth. ... Nevada third sacker Geist made at least two nice defensive plays.
