Errors costly for Pioneers

Jacob Longan - NewsPress

Sat, May 17 2008

— Gary Gardner said his team didn’t deserve to win on Monday.
No. 14 Stillwater High committed five errors in an 8-7 loss to No. 7 Enid at Couch Park Diamond. The outcome was a reversal of the March 10 meeting, when SHS won a 5-2 game on the road.
But Gardner noted his team’s handful of errors this time.
“You shouldn’t win those games and we didn’t,” said Gardner, whose team fell to 9-5. “I give our kids a pat on the back for staying in the game when they could have laid down. We gave ourselves a chance to win but we didn’t deserve to win.”
The Pioneers took a 3-0 lead after two innings but EHS (8-3) wasn’t down for long.
The Plainsmen scored four runs each in the third and fourth innings, when they capitalized on four hits and four SHS errors.
The fourth saw two personnel changes for the Pioneers.
Starting pitcher Brendin Vogt (3-1) gave way to reliever Daniel Cassel. Cassel threw the final 32⁄3 innings, allowing one run while striking out four.
“He threw really well on short rest and gave us a shot,” Gardner said. “He came to us before the game and said he felt good. He competed really hard. I’m proud of him.”
The second batter Cassel faced was Nick Rountree, whose grounder went to third baseman Michael Patman. The ball got there about the same time John Dillingham was sliding into the base and Patman was unable to come up with it.
After Dillingham was ruled safe, Ebert was talking — apparently to Cassel on the mound — when he was ejected.
“He said something and the umpire didn’t want to listen to it,” Gardner said.
It marked the second ejection in less than a week for the Pioneers, as right fielder Austin Dean was booted from a game in Phoenix.
“We felt like it was a very poor call in Phoenix on a collision at the plate,” Gardner said. “We slide, but they still threw him out for what they thought was a malicious slide. It wasn’t malicious.”
Dean had to sit out the next game anyway, as will Ebert today when the Pioneers visit Sapulpa at 4:30 p.m.
Gardner said he is not concerned about the ejections.
“We aren’t playing very smart, (but) we’re playing hard,” Gardner said. “They play seven innings. I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about but we have to play smarter.”
After Cassel stopped the bleeding in the fourth, SHS added three runs in the fifth.
One came on a Jacob Waddell single and two more were from Grant Field’s double.
Field also drove in the game’s final run in the bottom of the seventh. Dean singled and later scored on Field’s double, which cut Enid’s lead to one, but White struck out to end the game.
Patman joined Field as the only Pioneer with multiple hits or extra bases — he was 2-for-3 with a double. Field went 2-for-4.
The Pioneers spent last week at the Sunrise Mountain Tournament in Phoenix for Spring Break. They defeated two Arizona teams ranked in 5A Division II — No. 5 Willow Canyon, 9-0, and No. 1 Ironwood, 18-12. They lost to No. 2 Pinnacle, 13-9 and No. 9 Deer Valley, 7-6. They also lost to Oklahoma’s third-ranked Jenks, 8-4. JHS had ace Mark Ginther — an Oklahoma State signee — on the mound.
“We saw some great teams,” Gardner said. “In my opinion, the three losses we had were to the three best teams we’ve seen all year. (Deer Valley) was the best team we’ve seen all year, and we had a shot at them.”
After today’s visit to Sapulpa, the Pioneers will be off until visiting No. 11 Moore on Friday at noon. SHS will host Sand Springs next Tuesday at 5 p.m.

ENID 8, STILLWATER 7
EHS 004 400 0—8 5 3
SHS 210 030 1—7 10 5
(E) Dillingham (W) and Passmore. (S) Vogt (L, 1-3), Cassell (4) and Gaden. 2B-(E) Nave 2, Rountree. (S) Field 2, Patman.

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