GreyWolves Falter Late, Fall 4-0 in First Half Finale
July 6, 2016 - West Coast League (WCL)
Gresham GreyWolves News Release
GRESHAM, Ore. - Despite a solid start from Cal State East Bay product Donavon Ramirez, the Gresham GreyWolves were unable to muster enough offense in Tuesday's first half finale against the visiting Walla Walla Sweets.
Ramirez worked into the seventh inning in the third of a three-game set with Walla Walla (17-13), allowing just two earned runs on one hit before leaving for the night. Gresham (11-16) threatened to rally from what eventually became a 3-0 deficit in both the seventh and eighth innings, but both sparks were put out before the GreyWolves had a chance to plate any runs.
"Donavon did a great job tonight," said head coach Justin Barchus after the game. "He and Rilyn Lewchuk had been great out of the bullpen and both of them got opportunities this week to jump into the rotation. They've showed they deserve to be there."
The game had the appearance of a pitcher's duel from the start, with both Ramirez and Sweets starter Ryan Anderson (Nevada) cruising through the first three innings without allowing more than one combined hit.
A single from two-hole hitter Michael Breen broke up Anderson's no-hit bid in the bottom of the fourth, but the game would remain scoreless all the way until the seventh inning. That's when the visitors from Washington finally got to Ramirez and reliever Carter Buuck (Linfield), tallying three runs that came in part due to a misplayed rundown by the Gresham infield.
"We throw a ball off a guy's back in a rundown and that ended up leading to their big inning," Barchus recounted after the loss. "You can't fault Donavon though. He was really good when guys did end up getting on base, but again, we made some defensive miscues that pretty much led to every opportunity they had."
The GreyWolves attempted to mount a comeback in the bottom half of the frame but ended up being thwarted by some fluky and impressive plays made out in right and left field.
With two outs and Matt Karo on first, Curtis Perrin (Seattle) lined the second pitch he saw down the first base line. Karo and Perrin would end up rounding the bases on the play, only to be sent back to second and third as it was determined the ball had been stuck in the "out of play" ivy that rests in foul territory against the wall in right field.
As luck would have it, those runs would not score. Gresham ended up loading the bases after a walk was issued to its next batter, only to see the rally come up short as Jack Johnson was subsequently robbed of an extra-base hit on a diving catch made out in left field.
The GreyWolves tried to rally again in the next inning after having their first two men reach base safely, but an impressive double play turned by the Walla Walla defense seemed to take the air out of the club for good. Barchus' team then surrendered one last run in the top of the ninth to make the final score 4-0.
"I thought we started to put good at-bats together," said Barchus. "But we just didn't come through on the few opportunities he gave us. That's the game though. You have to score to win."
One night removed from a wild 10-9 victory on the Fourth of July that certainly wouldn't be classified as a routine game, this series finale had some strange moments as well.
After one player from each side was ejected before the start of the contest due to not leaving the field during a "National Anthem standoff", the Sweets dugout received multiple warnings throughout the early innings of the game for too much talking directed at both the opponent and the umpires. They then proceeded to be completely silent for the remainder of the night, celebrating wildly at times (fist pumping, water throwing, etc.) all without making a sound.
Without any noise coming from half the field, the game took on a surreal feeling at times throughout the latter frames. That feeling didn't necessarily help the GreyWolves, either.
"I think we kind of played to their level," Barchus said. "When they got excited, we got excited. When they got warned by the umpire and started to be quiet, we went quiet. We worried more about things we couldn't control rather than what we could tonight."
While losing is never fun, Gresham can quickly flush the loss as the West Coast League standings will now reset for the second half of the season. The team now controls its own destiny for the playoffs, as the two division winners with over the final 27 games will clinch a spot in next month's playoffs.
The second half begins with a six-game road trip that will take the GreyWolves through Kelowna and Wenatchee. The series with Kelowna begins on Wednesday, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. at Elks Stadium.
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West Coast League Stories from July 6, 2016
- Knights Win - Corvallis Knights
- GreyWolves Falter Late, Fall 4-0 in First Half Finale - Gresham GreyWolves
- Applesox Win Series, Back-And-Forth Game - Wenatchee AppleSox
- Bells Fall to Cowlitz - Bellingham Bells
- Kelowna Falcons Fall in Finale - Kelowna Falcons
- Sweets Take Series Behind Stellar Pitching - Walla Walla Sweets
- No Hits Until 7th Inning, No Problem for Pippins - Yakima Valley Pippins
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