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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend April 23, 2006 Phoenix catcher Kyle Giron looks for a call from the umpire after Henley�s Collier Picard safely slides across the plate during an 11-run fourth inning. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Pirates let Hornets off the hook Top-ranked Henley sweeps twin bill, takes command of Skyline Conference By DON HUNT Mail Tribune TALENT — The Phoenix Pirates had their boots on the throat of No. 1-ranked Henley in the second game of a Skyline Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday at Hagler-James Park. But the Pirates couldn’t quite snuff the life out of the Hornets, and, given a reprieve, the Klamath Falls-based team claimed a sweep. "Wins don’t come easy in this ballpark, and so it’s a great day when you can get two," Henley coach Joe Tacchini said. The scores were 14-3 in five innings and 14-9 in eight, but the Game 2 victory was anything but easy. The high-scoring contest was deadlocked at 9-9 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Phoenix loaded the bases with one out. Up stepped Nick Amuchastegui, who had gone 4-for-4 to that juncture. Advertisement As if the anxiety level wasn’t high enough in both dugouts, Henley relief pitcher K.C. Harris added to it by throwing three straight balls to the Pirates’ cleanup hitter. But Harris made like Houdini, striking out Amuchastegui and then getting Kyle Giron to pop out to first base to end the inning. Then, in the top of the eighth, Chris Herr lashed a three-run double that put Henley (11-4, 9-0 Skyline) ahead to stay. Colin Stock added a two-run double for good measure. "I put in a lot of work in the offseason and visualized myself in situations like this," said Harris, a junior right-hander who worked 41/3 innings to notch his fourth victory in six decisions. "It’s about dealing with adversity. I just told myself to throw strikes and get those guys (Amuchastegui and Giron) out." Once Harris steered his team out of trouble, the Hornets capitalized on a dropped fly ball and a couple of walks to tee off on tiring Phoenix pitcher Dustin Smith in the top of the eighth. Herr, Henley’s No. 9 hitter, cleared the bases with his double that found the gap in right-center. "I hadn’t had a hit in my three previous at-bats and I was just looking to drive the ball somewhere," Herr said. The Game 2 loss was as tough to swallow as raw spinach for Phoenix, which entered the twin bill 6-0 in conference play and just a half-game behind the Hornets. They left it 6-2 in Skyline play and 10-5 overall. "They’re No. 1 in the state for a reason," Phoenix coach Joe Hagler said. "But we certainly had our chances in the second game." Henley pounded out 22 hits in the two games, including a home run by Kelly Shannon in Game 1 and seven doubles in Game 2. "If you throw fastballs over the plate, then you’re going to see the backs of your outfielders chasing the ball toward the fence," said Hagler, noting that the Hornets hit 10 home runs in a doubleheader against North Valley two weeks ago. "Smith did a nice job of throwing off-speed stuff and moving the ball around, but you’re not going to keep them in check for real long stretches." Catcher Dane Hoppe led the Hornet hit parade by going 4-for-7 with a pair of doubles and five RBIs on the day. The Pirates put themselves in position to win Game 2 thanks to a seven-run, third-inning that gave them a 9-5 lead. Amuchastegui had a pair of singles and three RBIs in the inning. But Henley fought back with two runs in the fourth and one each in the fifth and sixth to tie the game at 9-all and set the stage for the dramatic seventh and decisive eighth frames. The Hornets blew open the first game by scoring 11 runs in the fourth inning. They had five hits in the spree, including Shannon’s three-run homer over the right-field fence, and took advantage of four walks and a hit batter by Phoenix sophomore left-hander Jordan Lewis. Kody Fritz held Phoenix to three hits, struck out two and walked one in a route-going performance for Henley. Phoenix first-baseman Dan Ritchie missed the doubleheader for disciplinary reasons. FIRST GAME Henley...................................002 (11)1 — 14 10 2 Phoenix.........................................120 00 — 3 3 1 Fritz and Hoppe; Lewis, A. Decker (4) and Giron. W — Fritz. L — Lewis (3-2). 2B — H: Stock, Nygren. HR — H: Shannon. SECOND GAME Henley.................................014 211 05 — 14 12 5 Phoenix.................................027 000 00 — 9 10 4 Nygren, Harris (3), Nygren (8) and Hoppe; Smith. A. Decker (8) and Giron. W — Harris (4-2). L — Smith (2-1). 2B — H: Stock 2, Nygren, Hoppe 2, Picard, Herr; P: Amuchestegui. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail Pirates let Hornets off the hook ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s