Coyotes sweep Wildcats baseball

Appeal Staff Report

The Western Nevada College baseball team had its pitching working Friday against Chandler Gilbert Community College, but a lack of offensive firepower led to the Wildcats coming out on the wrong side of a sweep.

The Coyotes came from behind to take a 3-2 win in the seven-inning first game at Packard Stadium, in Tempe, Ariz., and their three-run fifth inning led to a 4-2 victory over nine frames in the second game.

The Wildcats, which entered the season ranked fifth in the nation, are now 2-7.

"We played much better defense than we did last weekend - we only had two errors," said WNC coach D.J. Whittemore. "Overall we had a sizeable improvement. Our pitchers did a nice job throwing strikes and changing speed. But we've got to get the bats going tomorrow. You have to score more than four runs [in a double header] if you want to win."

The Wildcats took a 2-0 lead in the third on a pair of RBI singles by freshman Jerome Pena and sophomore Kyle Gutchewski. Pena drove in freshman third baseman Davis Banks and Gutchewski brought home freshman Lance Ray.

WNC lost a chance at another run when Cliff Shepard was thrown out at the plate on Gutchewski's hit.

Starter Kyle Starratt was the hard-luck loser, as the Coyotes scored two runs with two outs in the seventh, the last one coming home on a balk. The freshman, who struck out six and gave up one walk over 6 2/3 innings, allowed one run in the sixth.

Andrew Reid finished the first game for WNC.

Sophomore Logan Parsley, a 2006 Carson High School graduate and who will play for Nevada next year, went 1-for-2 in the second game and drove in a run with a single to put the Wildcats on the scoreboard first.

WNC scored another run on an error in the eighth, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Coyotes' three-run fifth inning. Chandler Gilbert scored one run in the fourth to tie it 1-1.

Wildcats starter Josh Moody gave up all four runs, going 4 1/3 innings.

Freshman left-hander Javy Perez pitched a scoreless 4 1/3 innings in relief, allowing two hits. He also struck out four batters.

Pena pitched the last third-inning.

WNC meets the Coyotes in another twinbill today, beginning at noon. Freshman righty Kyle Farrell will start game one for the Wildcats.