Eads Sweeps Granada
April 11, 2003
The story of the double header in Eads on Friday afternoon was errors as Granada was plagued by a total of 11 in the two games compared to Eads’ two. That would be the difference in the two contests as both teams struggled to hit the ball against some nice pitching efforts from both teams. Eads would squeak by Granada in the first game, 3-2, and blow open an error-plagued second inning by Granada to control the second game in five innings, 16-4. Eads now moves to 5-3 with five straight wins, while Granada drops to . This was an important conference match up in the three-team District 2 conference and puts Eads in control of the conference in the early part of the season.
Senior Carlos Balderama would get the nod on the mound for Granada in the first contest and settled down to almost perfect pitching in the seven inning affair after a shaky first inning where Eads generated all three runs. Eagle pitcher Steven Gilmore led off for Eads and sent a towering shot over the left-field fence to send an early message. Eagle catcher Dain Barnett would reach on a fielder’s choice at second, steal second, and then score off a Kelly Lindholm single. Lindholm would steal second and would be hit in on a Miles Philpy fielder’s choice that resulted in an error at first base allowing Lindholm to score. That would be all the production the Eagles would make in the remainder of the contest as Balderama’s fine curve ball got stronger as the game went. For Eads it would be Steven Gilmore on the mound until the top of the fifth when he would give up the reins to Linholm. Gilmore would work some excellent innings against the Bobcats until the third inning when a single by Aaron Widener to start the inning and a walk on Balderama would allow both to score when Chris Gallegos would hit a single with both in scoring position. That would be all the production Granada could manage in the contest as the trio of pitchers would hold strong on both sides.
In the night-cap Granada and Eads would exchange two runs apiece in the first inning with Contreras on the mound for the Bobcats and Levi Kraft at the helm for Eads. Balderama would start off the game with a single and Contreras would come up with a big double to hit in Balderama. A couple of fielder’s choices later Contreras had scored. For Eads, Steven Gilmore would continue to be hot at the bat hitting a triple to start the bottom of the first, one of two he would have in this contest. Gilmore would score on a wild pitch that walked Kraft and Kraft would round the bases on an error and
a passed ball that easily gave him third. However, Kraft didn’t slow down at third and while the Bobcat catcher chased down the ball at the deep back fence Kraft stole home. The second inning broke Granada’s back. With one down Randy Wilson and Keyvis Gilmore would both single, Marcus Gilmore would walk, and Steven Gilmore would be hit by a pitch that brought in Wilson. A sacrifice by Kraft scored Keyvis Gilmore but gave Granada two outs. Then the dam broke as a routine 6-3 play should have gotten Barnett but he arrived safely on the error. Lindholm would then pop up toward second but communication failed between the Bobcat second-baseman and shortstop resulting in a second straight error.
Before it was over eleven Eagles would score, nine unearned, and the game was basically over. Granada would produce two more runs, one on an Eagle error in the third and another in the fourth when Kraft would get in trouble walking four hitters. Granada would continue to be plagued by errors into the fourth inning when four errors gave Eads three more runs.
Eads had their Saturday double-header with Stratton postponed due to the weather and will take on conference foe Cheyenne Wells on Friday.