Galena baseball beats Fallon

By STEVE RANSON

Appeal News Service

Galena pitcher Rod Scurry made the most of out of a miserable, windy day in Fallon.

The Grizzlies' right hander hurled a four-hitter and struck out 13 in leading Galena to a 6-3 High Desert League win in eight innings over the error-proned Greenwave.

Galena and Fallon are tied in the league standings with 1-3 records. The Grizzlies improve to 4-8 while the 'Wave, in the midst of a four-game losing streak, falls to 4-8. Both teams meet at Galena on Saturday for a 1 p.m. double-header.

"The pitching was outstanding," said Galena coach Gary McNamara in assessing Scurry's performance.

"I was just hitting my spots," said Scurry, adding that his curveball was frustrating Fallon.

In fact, the 'Wave had problems hitting both Scurry's fastball and curves. "Scurry threw well and had some pretty good pitches," said Fallon coach Brooke Hill.

McNamara was also pleased with his team's clutch hitting in the later innings.

"We had a nice come-from-behind win," McNamara added.

Tied 3-3 going into the top of the eighth inning, Galena loaded the bases on a single, an error and walk. Frank Kurnik slapped a two-run double down the left field line to give the Grizzlies a two-run lead. Galena pulled a double steal to score its final run.

"We got to make the plays. The defense let us down," Hill pointed out.

"Right now, we're not playing with confidence."

Fallon had taken a 3-1 lead before the Grizzlies tied the game in the top of the sixth inning.

The 'Wave loaded the bases in the third inning before Owen Mackedon hit a two-run single over second base. Galena sliced the lead in half with a run in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Justin Norvik hit a 1-0 pitch to right field for Galena's first run.

Fallon added its third run in the fifth inning. Jason Walker led off the inning with a triple, and Mackedon's squeeze bunt brought Walker home.

Galena tied the game in the sixth inning. With two outs and a runner on second, Kornik hit a long fly to right field which was dropped. Kornik attempted to steal third, but catcher Calvin Winder's throwing error allowed the Galena base runner to score.

The loss put a damper on Chad Fiske's pitching. The Greenwave hurler matched Scurry's performance over the first seven innings, limiting the visitors to six hits while striking out 10 and walking one.