Western routs NOC Enid

By Shawn Hein, Staff Writer

May 10, 2008 12:25 am

— Northern Oklahoma College Enid did not take advantage of a couple of early opportunities. Those missed chances did not bode well against the No. 4-ranked team in the country.
The Jets stranded two runners in scoring position both in the first and third innings. Meanwhile, Western State College turned a two-out walk into a five-run second inning.
The Pioneers went on to a 12-1 run-rule victory in the first round of the Region II Baseball Tournament at David Allen Memorial Ballpark Friday.
“They got the opportunities to score and they did. We didn’t do that,” said NOC Enid coach Raydon Leaton.
With the loss, NOC Enid (36-23) will face Murray State at 1 p.m. today in an elimination game. Western (47-10) will play fifth-ranked Redlands Community College at 4 in the winners’ bracket championship game. The NOC Enid-Murray State winner will face the Western-Redlands loser at 7 in another elimination game.
Redlands advanced with a 8-5 win over Murray State in Friday’s other first-round game.
NOC Enid threatened to take the early lead against Western with its own two-out rally in the top of the first. Mike Williams drew a walk. Cody Creider then singled. Both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch before Stephen Garrett struck out to end the threat.
In the third, Kyle Henry reached on a one-out walk, followed by a single to right field from Williams. Both moved into scoring position, but Creider and Garrett were retired.
“Stephen’s driven in runs all year for us, but he didn’t then,” Leaton said.
Meanwhile, Jets’ starting pitcher Joel McEntyre cruised through the first inning, setting Western down in order. But he ran into trouble with two outs in the second.
McEntyre surrendered a walk to Rob Rodriguez, then gave up a two-run homer Luis Caraballo, the team’s 130th homer of the season, on a full-count. Jose Cuevas followed with a single, then scored on Nate Brown’s double to right center field. Wilsysky Baez and Andy Gonell followed with RBI doubles to give Western a 5-0 lead.
McEntyre took the loss. The righty allowed five runs on four hits in 12/3 innings of work.
Reliever Travis Hulet did not fare much better. Hulet gave up three runs in less than a full inning as Western built an 8-0 lead after three innings.
“If you make mistakes, they make you pay for it,” Leaton said. “Our pitchers got behind 2-0 and 3-1 and had to throw fastballs.”
While home-run threat Juan Carlos Perez and Danny Almonte, the nation’s leading hitter, combined to go just 1-for-7, the Pioneers still finished with 11 hits.
Cuevas went 2-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored. Brown was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Baez and Gonell each went 2-for-4.
Western starting pitcher Chase Phillips shook off the Jets’ early threats to get the win. Phillips allowed just two hits and three walks in five innings.
NOC Enid’s lone run came in the top of the sixth off reliever Levi Rhodes. Creider singled to lead off the inning, then scored on Jeremy Lawson’s ground out.
Creider went 2-for-4 to lead the Jets offensively. NOC Enid finished with six hits.
REDLANDS 8, MURRAY STATE 5
Alex Aycoth’s three-run double with two outs in the bottom of the eighth gave Redlands a win over Murray State.
C.J. Comstock’s solo homer to lead off the second gave Redlands a 5-0 lead. But Murray State rallied back and tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the eighth on Ryan Estes’ solo homer.
Logan Davis pitched eight innings to get the win. Patrick Tolentino threw a scoreless ninth to pick up the save. Chris Roush took the loss, despite six solid innings in relief of starter Ty Robertson, who lasted just 1/3 of an inning.

WESTERN 12, NOC ENID 1

NOC ENID WESTERN
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Tuttle cf 4 0 1 0 Baez c 4 2 2 2
Henry 2b 3 0 0 0 Gonell ss 4 0 2 2
Williams rf 3 0 2 0 Perez cf 3 0 0 0
Creider 1b 4 1 2 0 Almonte rf 4 0 1 0
Garrett ss 3 0 0 0 Green dh 4 1 1 0
Brorsen lf 3 0 0 0 Rdrguez 1b 1 2 0 0
Lawson dh 2 0 1 1 Carabllo ss 2 2 1 2
DyHwrd 3b 2 0 0 0 Cuevas 2b 3 3 2 2
Palmer c 1 0 0 0 Brown lf 3 2 2 3
Botone ph 1 0 0 0
Totals 26 1 6 1 Totals 28 12 11 11

NOC Enid 000 001 0 — 1
Western 053 040 X — 12

E—Palmer, Henry, Lentz, Phillips. LOB — NOC Enid 8, Western 6. 2B—Baez, Gonell 2. 3B—Brown. HR—Caraballo. SB—Rodriguez, Brown, Almonte 2. S—Carabello.
IP H R ER BB SO
NOC Enid
McEntyre L,5-3 12/3 4 5 5 1 2
Hulet 2/3 4 3 3 2 0
Taber 12/3 0 0 0 0 2
Lentz 0 1 4 3 2 0
Hamar 1 2 0 0 0 1
Rogers 1 0 0 0 1 0
Western
Phillips, W 5 2 0 0 3 3
Rhodes 2 4 1 1 1 3

WP—Phillips. PB—Palmer.

REDLANDS 8, MURRAY STATE 5

MURRAY STATE REDLANDS
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Rodrigues rf 5 0 4 0 Comstock lf 5 3 3 1
Saldivar 3b 5 0 0 0 Forsythe rf 5 2 2 0
Newmn dh 5 0 0 1 Smith 1b 3 1 1 1
Lance lf 5 1 2 1 Aycoth 3b 5 1 2 3
Rodrgz 1b 4 1 0 0 Dicker ss 4 1 2 1
Estes ss 4 1 2 2 Larner dh 4 0 2 1
Martin c 4 0 1 0 Hey 2b 3 0 2 1
Dimino cf 3 1 1 0 Tolentino c 3 0 0 0
Hamiltn ph 0 0 0 0 Iago cf 4 0 0 0
Trimmr 2b 1 1 0 0
Lawless ph 1 0 0 0
Totals 37 5 10 4 Totals 36 8 14 8

Murray State 002 002 010 — 5
Redlands 410 000 03X — 8

E—Saldivar, Dicker, Comstock. LOB—Murray State 9, Redlands 10. 2B—Lance, Aycoth 2, Dicker, Hey.HR—Estes, Comstock.CS—Martin. S—Smith. SF—Smith.
IP H R ER BB SO
Murray State
Robertson 1-3 6 4 4 0 0
Krebs 12/3 1 1 1 1 1
Roush, L 6 7 3 0 2 2 Redlands
Davis, W 8 8 5 4 3 5
Tolentino, S 1 1 0 0 0 0

WP—Robertson, Davis, Tolentino. HPB—Dicker (by Roush).