Western Nevada squanders chance against Pima Community College

LAS VEGAS - Hopefully, even though it's still early, the WNC baseball team won't have to go through another painful stretch of futility like it did Friday night.

The Wildcats had numerous chances in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings but squandered them in a 8-2 loss to Pima Community College at Centennial High School.

Pima showed why it won it's first four games last weekend and improved to 5-0 while WNC fell to 1-3.

A big reason why the Wildcats couldn't break through was Pima pitcher Karl Whitley who didn't allow an earned run over 6.1 innings of work while striking out seven.

WNC's first opportunity began in the fourth when it trailed 4-0. Andrew Reid and Brian Burnett led off with walks. Reid advanced to third on Lance Ray's lineout to centerfield and Burnett stole second, but Whitley struck out the next two batters to escape the jam.

Davis Banks, who had three hits, led off the fifth with a double and advanced to third on a balk. With one out, Jerome Pena walked but was thrown out attempting to steal second. A fly ball ended the inning.

In the sixth, Reid led off with a walk and Barnett followed with a single, but Reid took too wide of a turn at second and was thrown out as he slipped trying to get back to the bag. Barnett stole second and advanced to third on a balk, but Whitley got a big strikeout and a fly ball to escape another jam.

In the seventh, Travis Feiner reached first on a dropped pop-up and Banks singled. The ball was booted in the outfield, allowing the runner to advance. Feiner scored on Kyle Gutchewsky's ground out to make it 5-1.

Pena walked and Logan Parsley reached on catcher interference with one out, but a strike-out and a pop-up ended the threat. WNC left 12 baserunners stranded in the game.

Kyle Starratt pitched well through the first three innings, allowing one run. Starratt received help from catcher Chuck Howard who threw out two runners.

The fourth inning began ominously for the Wildcats. Coach D. J. Whittemore had told his outfielders before the game to play safe on base hits in the tricky outfield and to get the ball back into the infield quickly to prevent any 'hustle' doubles.

The inning began on a hit to rightfield and when Pena lobbed the ball back in, the runner was able to stretch it into a double. Pima went on to score three runs on three hits to take a 4-0 lead.

Starratt prevented any more damage, though. With runners at first and second and no outs, Starratt got a double-play ball and a ground out to escape. Starratt also received defensive help in the fifth when parsley fielded a hit in right-center and fired to the cut-off Feiner who hit Gutchewsky to nail the runner trying to stretch his hit into a double.

Starratt lasted 5.2 innings. Reid finished, allowing one earned run over the last 3.1 innings while striking out five.

Pima scored three unearned runs in the eighth with a three-run double to take an 8-1 lead.

Ray doubled, advanced on a passed ball, and scored on Howard's ground out in the bottom of the eighth to end the scoring.

Gutchewsky and Howard each added a hit for WNC.

The two teams conclude their four-game series with a double-header today at Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas at 11 a.m.

• Contact sports editor Charles Whisnand at cwhisnand@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling 881-1214.