St. George Sweeps Yuma
August 22, 2008 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
St. George RoadRunners News Release
ST. GEORGE - Ryan Stevenson knew the situation. As he hit third base and saw the ball coming slowly into the infield, it was go time.
When Stevenson slid in safely to cap a three-run second inning, it got the St. George Roadrunners the momentum they needed to break out the brooms at Bruce Hurst Field.
The Roadrunners scored in each of the first four innings and the pitching of Gregorio Martinez carried the day in a 6-4 victory on Thursday over the Yuma Scorpions that completed a four-game sweep. The win stretched St. George's winning streak to five games and pulled them within a half-game of Orange County for the lead in the Southern Division of the Golden Baseball League with nine games left in the regular season. With the bases loaded - and Stevenson on at first - Greg Lemon singled to right to drive in two runs. When Stevenson reached third, he saw the throw from Yuma right fielder Maikel Jova take two bounces toward the infield.
That was all the impetus Stevenson needed.
"You've always got to keep putting pressure on the defense," said Stevenson, who went 2-for-4 and scored three runs.
"The crazy part of that play was it was a 3-2 pitch, and the pitcher (Yuma starter Mike Megrew) went to the windup," St. George manager Cory Snyder said of Stevenson's sprint that helped St. George (20-15 second half) build an early 4-0 lead. "When that ball was lobbed in, I told Ryan to keep going."
Stevenson did, and the Roadrunners' playoff hopes took a big turn upward. Lemon and Seth Loman each drove in two runs and Martinez threw seven strong innings on the mound to improve to 2-0.
"As soon as he got here, he wanted to win this thing for us," Snyder said of Martinez. "He's a refreshing kid to have in here because he works hard. He's a gamer with good stuff and he believes in it."
Other than two home runs from Yuma's Dionys Cesar - a two-run shot in the third and a solo shot in the fifth, the Scorpions didn't put up much of a challenge for the Roadrunner right-hander.
Martinez survived two Yuma threats with the help of double plays from his defense. After Cesar's homer in the third, the Scorpions put runners at the corners with one out before Jova grounded into a 6-4-3 twin-killing. In the seventh, Yuma loaded the bases with nobody out, but Martinez got Pete Farina to hit into another double play that plated the Scorpions' final run.
Relievers John Segovia and Claudio Galva closed the door on the Scorpions' hopes and helped the Roadrunners complete the sweep. Galva retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
While the mood was happy in the Roadrunner clubhouse afterwards, they know the tougher challenge is still ahead.
"To be in contention is a big turnaround for us," Stevenson said. "We're enjoying the moment, but we can't be complacent."
"We can't let up. We've got to keep doing the job and see what happens," Snyder added.
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Golden Baseball League Stories from August 22, 2008
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