Thunderducks Salvage Series, Move into Tie with Harvester Bees

HIGHLIGHTS

DALLAS – It wasn't their day, but it was.

In a game that didn't appear to be Dallas College Richland's in the late stages, the fifth-ranked Thunderducks got the breaks late to pull out a 7-6 win in 10 innings over No. 4 Dallas College Eastfield Friday. The win moved both teams back into a tie for first place in the Dallas Athletic Conference with two three-game series remaining.

The Thunderducks (33-15, 19-5 DAC) dropped the first two games of the series with the Harvester Bees (38-11, 19-5) by one-run verdicts.

"Losing a couple one-run ballgames, you go home thinking about a lot of things," Richland second-year head coach Jimmy Brenneman said. "But I was just really proud of my guys in showing some resiliency today. There was times where it kind of looked like, 'Well, it's not going to go our way today,' but we had some guys get on base there late in different ways. Kind of our creed is when a hitter has two strikes on him, 'Just put the ball in play.' That's what we got there in the final play."

With the score knotted at 6-6 in the bottom of the 10^th, Richland's Trey Smith sent a ground ball to the left side of the infield. An error on the throw allowed Kelton Phillips, who singled with two outs and stole second, to score the winning run.

Richland salvaged the series in a game the Thunderducks salvaged just the same. They led 5-0 after four innings, only to have the Harvester Bees score three runs in the fifth to pull within a pair. Payton Poole's single up the middle in the seventh scored Garret Hendricks and River Curs to tie the game for Eastfield. Curs singled to center to score Josh Vaughn with two outs in the eighth, putting the Harvesters up, 6-5. Hernan Zamora's one-out sacrifice fly to center scored Gelpi in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.

It was a game with a playoff atmosphere-type feel, and one in which left the playoff host up in the air. The winner of the DAC will host the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III South Central District Tournament May 15-18.

"If you're playing in May, and you're playing for something, it's always exciting," Brenneman said. "I'm just trusting my guys right now. We can't control anything they do. When the season's over, we can look up, and if we're in first, hey great. If we're not, so what. The ultimate goal is to win a national championship. That's our end goal."

Phillips went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Gelpi was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base. Robby Lopez and Smith both were 2-for-4.

Curs was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Hendricks was 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBI. JJ Bush was 2-for-4, and John Jackson 2-for-5 with a double for the Bees.

Eastfield outhit Richland, 13-11.

Thunderducks reliever Julian Pokorny picked up the win, giving up an unearned run, four hits and a walk, and struck out three. Richland starter Daniel Norris worked the first five-and-a-third innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and three walks, while striking out three. Eastfield middle reliever Teagan Rehwald went five innings, allowing a run on two hits and no walks, and struck out three.

Each of the three games in the series were decided by one run.

"We knew going into the series, there was a lot on the line," Brenneman said. "I just put a big emphasis to our guys this morning, 'We've got to find a way to salvage the series.' They're a good team. They find ways to win. One play could dictate the game, and you don't know what that play is."

On this day, that play went the Thunderducks' way.

Richland will host Dallas College North Lake  12 p.m. Wednesday in the penultimate league series of the year. The Thunderducks will play the final two games of the series and an additional nonconference game against the Blazers at North Lake. Eastfield begins a three-game series against Dallas College Mountain View at home Wednesday.