Vipers blow big lead; fall to St. George

Published on June 5, 2008 under Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Calgary Vipers News Release


The Calgary Vipers led 8-0 but collapsed and lost 10-8 to the St. George RoadRunners at Bruce Hurst Field in St. George, Utah. The Vipers held the early lead after an inning and a half but from their St. George scored the last ten runs of the game unanswered. The loss gave the sweep of the double-header and the three game series to the RoadRunners. Calgary pitching gave up ten homeruns on the night in the 14 innings of double-header action.

In the top of the first inning Calgary wasted little time grabbing the lead. Darryl Brinkley walked, Jorge Mejia reached on a bunt base hit, and Nelson Castro singled home Brinkley for the game's first run. After a Drew Miller walk, Jose Morban smacked a grand slam for his third homerun of the season and the 5-0 lead.

The Vipers added to their lead in the top of the second inning with Travis Drader singling, Brinkley reaching on a fielding error, and Mejia picking up a RBI groundout. Castro followed with a single and Miller was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Morban picked up another RBI with a fielder's choice and Felix Jose plated a run with a base hit for the 8-0 advantage.

St. George started their comeback in the bottom of the inning with a Cody Nowlin triple and a Wiki Gonzalez RBI single. Following a Jason Bryan base hit, Mike Done cashed Gonzalez with a knock to cut the lead to 8-2.

Greg Lemon smacked a solo homerun in the bottom of the third inning to bring the RoadRunners one run closer.

In the bottom of the fifth the comeback was complete with Gonzalez starting off the inning with a homerun. Bryan and Ryan Stevenson both picked up base hits and Lemon walked to load the bases for Brandon Taylor who promptly hammered a grand slam to tie the game at eight.

An inning later St. George grabbed their first lead of the game with a Nowlin double and Gonzalez's second homerun of the game for the 10-8 lead.

Viper reliever Sean Kramer (0-1) took the loss and Harold Williams (1-0) recorded the victory thanks to his three and two-third innings of shutout work. Former Viper Anthony Pluta (2) picked up the save with a perfect final inning. One bright spot for the Snakes was Ryan Olson's two innings of work without allowing a run.

Friday and Saturday the Snakes take on the Yuma Scorpions at 8:00 PM (MDT) with Dallas Mahan (2-0) and Jordy Alexander (1-1) starting on the mound. Sunday at 7:00 PM (MDT) the three game series will wrap up with Golden Baseball League Pitcher of the Week Evan Greusel (2-0) starting. All games can be heard live online at www.calgaryvipers.com.

Two teams never before seen in Calgary will then head in for the next home stand. The St. George Roadrunners with former Chicago White Sox infielder Liu Rodriguez will be here June 11, 12 and 13. Then the defending champion Chico Outlaws hit town. Friday, June 13th it's an afternoon "Skip out of Work" special so fans can watch both the Vipers and then the Stamps exhibition game. On Saturday June 14th it's Ripley's Believe It or Not Day at Foothills Stadium. A full contingent from the famous tourist attraction will be in Calgary to take possession of the 10 bats acquired in the Odom trade and to present the check to the Vipers Children's Charity. On Sunday, June 15th it's the Vipers Father's Day Extravaganza. Hall of Famer Gary Carter will be the Vipers special guest to throw out the first pitch and sign autographs. The Calgary Minor Softball Association will be holding their Opening ceremonies following the game and will be out in full force. The Vipers will be teaming with PharmaChoice Drug Stores and the Calgary Prostate Society to raise awareness for prostate cancer treatments. And the Vipers will be helping to launch the new Warner Brothers movie "Get Smart" with Agent 99 and Maxwell Smart making a special appearance. Tickets can be ordered by calling 277-BALL (2255).

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Golden Baseball League Stories from June 5, 2008


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