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No Walk-off In Abilene

July 3, 2012 - North American League (NAmL)
Abilene Prairie Dogs News Release


ABILENE, TX - The Prairie Dogs and Colts were caught in another extra inning duel at Walt Driggers' Field. Both teams had used dramatic late-inning rallies en route to a 4-4 deadlock in the twelfth. However, instead of playing deep into the Abilene night, everything changed when Daryl Jones drew a two out walk in the visiting twelfth. The designated hitter then stole second, advanced to third when catcher Zach Welch's throw sailed into centerfield, and scored on a wild pitch to lift the Colts to their sixth consecutive win, 5-4.

Aiming to secure his fourth save in as many opportunities, Ray Silva entered the game in the top of the ninth inning with a 4-3 lead. The righty walked Ryan Hutson to lead off the inning. The runner moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch and scurried to third when Andrew Caron grounded out the first. Silva fanned Jason Crosland to set up a must-see matchup with Ronnie Gaines. With two outs and the tying run at third in the ninth, the centerfielder chopped an infield single deep into the shortstop hole, scoring Hutson and tying the game at four.

The Prairie Dogs scored the game's first run when Joe Weik raced home on a wild pitch in the fourth.

In the fifth, it was the Gaines who singled to drive in Hutson, tying the game at one.

The Dogs built a rally in the sixth that began with Adam De La Garza's single. Wilson Batista struck out, Joe Weik singled, and Kyle Nichols laced a base hit through the right side of the infield to help Abilene regain the lead, 2-1.

Woods Fines started for the Dogs and was cutting through the San Angelo lineup through the first 62/3 innings. But with one out and the bases clear in the top of the seventh inning, Caron singled to left. Jason Crosland then doubled down the right field line to drive in the tying run, his third hit of the night. With the go-ahead run on second and two outs, Fines got Gaines to bounce a grounder to the third baseman Batista who sailed the throw to first, allowing Crosland to touch home and the Colts to take a 3-2 lead.

It would stay that way until the bottom of the eighth. With Chris Weast on the mound, Joe Weik popped a lazy fly into shallow left-field. However, Cory Patton, playing the outfield for only the third time this season, dropped the ball and Weik reached second. Nichols then stepped to the plate and punished the visitors for the error, yanking a towering, two-run homer down the left-field line to push the Dogs ahead 4-3.

Scott Vander Weg tossed 12/3 innings of hitless relief leading up to Silva's appearance in the ninth. Jeremy Tietze emerged out of the bullpen and fired two scoreless innings before the walk and the wild pitch in the twelfth.

The Dogs hit the road for a single game in Fort Worth on Independence Day. Hear the game on 106.9 KLGD or on abileneprairiedogs.com beginning with the pregame show at 6:55.

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