No. 4 Vaqueros deny No. 16 Coyotes, twice
BY DAN CABRERA
Friday, January 30, 2009
College of Southern Nevada coach Tim Chambers knew that he would be challenging his young team to quite a daunting task in its first 16 non-league contests. After all, 13 of them are against ranked opponents.
With that in mind, the Coyotes gave it their best effort against the fourth-ranked team in the nation – not once, but twice – on opening day of the 2009 season, dropping both games to Central Arizona College on Friday, 7-5 and 9-8 in the 3rd annual Coyote Border Battle.
The Vaqueros (2-0) led 3-0 before the Coyotes were able to score in the fifth. Ryan Thomas hammered a triple to the center field wall to start off the inning, then scored on a wild pitch during Justin Mishalow’s at-bat.
The score remained 3-1 until the ninth, when Central posted a four-spot to seemingly put the game out of reach. However, CSN (0-2) was not quite finished. They, too, scored four runs of their own in the ninth, and brought the tying run to the plate. But a hard groundout to first base by pinch hitter Ryan Scott ended the game.
In game two, the Vaqueros wasted no time in jumping out to a 6-0 lead after three before the Coyotes’ bats came to life. CSN scored three times in the fourth to cut the lead in half, but Central scored once in each of the next two innings to take an 8-3 lead.
Again, CSN did not back down. The Coyotes sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth, posting a five-spot to tie the game at 8, capped by back-to-back two-out doubles by Marvin Campbell and Thomas.
Central Arizona scored the winning run in the eighth on an error by Robbie Garvey in center field. Pinch hitter Bryan Karraker singled to center, but the ball got past Garvey and rolled all the way to the wall, allowing Karraker to score.
Thomas was a combined 5-for-9 with three doubles, two triples, three runs and an RBI in both games to lead the CSN offense.
Up next for CSN, they will take on No. 18 Yavapai College (Ariz.) at noon Saturday, followed by GateWay Community College (Ariz.) at 3 p.m.
