(Story taken from the Hendrix College
website)
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. - Hendrix College out-hit
Pomona-Pitzer 11-8, however, three defensive errors by the Warriors
proved to be costly as the Sagehens put five unearned runs across
the plate to hand Hendrix an 8-3 loss in game one of the 2009 NCAA
Division III West Regional on Thursday afternoon at Roy Helser
Field. Box
Score I Tournament
website
The Warriors (22-22 overall) fall to the loser's bracket and will
now take on the loser of game two between No. 2 Texas-Tyler (38-10)
and No. 5 Chapman (26-14) on Friday at 12 p.m PT.
Pomona-Pitzer's sophomore RHP David Colvin opened the game with a
three up, three down top half of the first.
Hendrix's first year RHP Teddy Smoyer (Simi
Valley, Calif./H.S.) started the game by hitting the first batter
before junior 2B James Kang doubled to left to score senior SS
Brandon Huerta. Senior 1B Drew Hedman followed with a single to
right field, scoring Huerta to give the Sagehens an early 2-0 lead
after the first inning.
The Warriors answered with their first run of the game in the
second inning when sophomore 1B Jeff Forgerson
(Simi Valley, Calif./H.S.) blasted a lead-off homer 410 feet over
the center field fence, clearing the 25 ft. tall batter's eye
behind the fence. The homer was Forgerson's 11th of the season and
breaks his single-season record tie with senior CF Daniel
Ward (Tacoma, Wash./Washington H.S.).
Pomona-Pitzer added one run to its advantage in the third inning to
bring the score to 3-1. Kang was hit by a pitch to lead off the
inning before Hedman and senior CF Zachary Mandelblatt reached to
load the bases with no outs. Smoyer managed to work his way out of
the jam with just one run by forcing a double play up the middle
and a line out to left field.
Hendrix made it a 3-2 ballgame in the fourth frame when Forgerson
walked, advanced to second on a grounder to the pitcher and raced
home on senior C David Foley's (The Colony,
Texas/H.S.) base knock to right center.
Pomona-Pitzer opened the game up by plating five unearned runs on
two hits and three errors in the bottom half of the fourth. The
first three batters of the inning reached on a hit-by-pitch,
catcher's interference and an error on the first baseman.
Both teams were held scoreless over the fifth and sixth innings
before the Warriors scored their final run of the game in seventh.
Foley, sophomore DH Brad Grinstead (Craig,
Colo./Moffat Cty. H.S.) and first year 3B Kyle
Raskin (Simi Valley, Calif./H.S.) led off the inning with
back-to-back-to-back singles to juice the bases. Junior SS
Matt Gaglio (Kirkwood, Mo./H.S.) sent Foley
plateward on a grounder to the pitcher. First year 2B Clark
Sims (N. Little Rock, Ark./H.S.) and Ward ended the threat
with groundouts.
The Sagehen's held the Warriors off the scoreboard for the
remainder of the game to take the 8-3 final mark. It looked as if
Hendrix might piece together a ninth-inning rally when senior PH
Matt Giza (Twentynine Palms, Calif./H.S.) led off
with a single to center field. However, Gaglio followed with a
strike out and Giza was gunned down at third on Sims' single
through the right side.
Ward entered today's game just one hit shy of the 200 career hit
club and had gone 0-for-4 as he stepped to the plate with two outs
in the ninth inning. He finally reached the milestone with a line
drive to right field and was given the game ball for his
significant accomplishment.
Smoyer tossed the 8.0 inning complete game and falls to 3-5 on the
season. He allowed eight hits, eight runs (3 earned), walked five
and struck out none.
Colvin picked up the win and improved to 8-0 after 8.0 innings of
action, one walk and three strikeouts. Kang moved from second base
to the mound in the ninth inning and closed the door after allowing
three hits and striking out one.