Thursday, September 12, 1996

Prairie Dogs hang on to edge Crickets

By AL PICKETT
Sports Editor

LUBBOCK - Barry Jones' RBI single in the 11th inning gave the Abilene Prairie Dogs a dramatic 5-4 victory Wednesday over the Lubbock Crickets in Game 1 of the best-of-five Texas-Louisiana League Championship Series at Dan Law Field.

After blowing a lead in the ninth inning, the Prairie Dogs scored the winning run in the top of the 11th.

Scott Bethea led off the inning with a single. Darryl Monroe followed with a bunt single, and Eric Gonzalez sacrificed the runners to second and third with a bunt. Jones, who was 3 for 5 with a pair of runs batted-in, then singled up the middle to drive in Bethea.

Sam Arminio, the fifth Abilene pitcher on the night, hurled a perfect 10th and 11th inning to pick up the victory for the Dogs. It was Arminio's first relief appearance of the season.

"I think every game is going to be like that," Abilene manager Phil Stephenson said of the four-hour marathon. "David (Haas) pitched his heart out, and Sam threw the best he's thrown in a long time. It's important to win the first game on the road."

A pair of left-handers, Kerry Knox (10-3) of Abilene and Ron Gerstein (14-4) of Lubbock will hook up in Game 2 tonight, also at Lubbock's Dan Law Field. The series returns to Abilene on Saturday.

Mike Hardge sent the game into extra innings when he belted a one-out two-run homer off Abilene ace reliever Ken Winkle in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, 4-4. It was only the second home run given up this season by Winkle, who set a T-L League record with 27 saves this season. It was only his fourth blown save of the season.

"Those things are just part of baseball," Stephenson said. "Winkle got beat this time, but he's saved a bunch of them for us."

Lubbock loaded the bases after Hardge's homer in the bottom of the ninth, but Winkle escaped without giving up the winning run.

Prairie Dogs starting pitcher David Haas, who reaggravated a groin injury in the first inning, lasted until he gave up a lead-off single in the top of the eighth. But relievers Troy Dean Conkle and Brian Dunne worked out of the jam in the eighth.

It was a see-saw battle all night. Abilene took a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning with a pair of runs. Jones and Rod Brewer singled to lead off the inning, and Paul Coleman walked to load the bases. Jones was forced out at home on a grounder hit by Paul Gonzalez, but Manny Gagliano delivered a two-run single.

"I've been struggling," said Gagliano, who missed two weeks of the season when his mother had a heart transplant. "I call her every day. I told my mom I'd try extra hard to concentrate. Nothing would make her happier than us to win it. I'm dedicating the whole series to her."

Jones increased the lead to 4-2 with a long solo home run over the rightfield fence in the seventh inning.

Lubbock had gone in front 2-1 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Roberto Ramirez started the rally with a single. Glenn Sullivan rapped a double. A sacrifice fly by Derek Vaughn and John Stratton's bloop single scored the two runners.

Gagliano's RBI single staked Abilene to a 1-0 lead in the second.

Haas worked out of trouble in both the first and second innings. Abilene rightfielder Paul Coleman threw out Scott Hoyes at the plate in the first inning. Hoyes led off the bottom of the first with a double. Mike Hardge followed with a single, but Coleman cut down Hoyes with a perfect throw to catcher Jack Johnson at the plate.

In the second inning, Derek Vaughn had a lead-off single for the Crickets, but he was erased on a double play.