Stephens Keeps Dinos in Check, Vault-Tec with 2-0 Series Lead
Two games in, and the Vault-Tec pitching staff has gotten the best of the Novac batters. This time Orlando Stephens pitched seven solid innings, and the Vault Boys offense did their job in an 8-2 game two victory.
The series now heads to Primm, where Vault-Tec can put the series out of reach.
Stephens was the game’s MVP, giving up one run on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings. He also went 1 for 3 at the plate with an RBI. Brian Sykes came on in relief to pitch the final two innings, giving up one run on one hit with a walk and strikeout in two innings pitched.
Bob Ward suffered the loss for the Dinosaurs. Despite leading the Mojave Baseball League in the regular season with a 1.60 ERA, Ward allowed five runs on 10 hits in 6.2 innings to suffer the loss.
The Vault Boys jumped out to a quick lead in the game. With two outs in the first inning, James Sexton doubled, followed by an RBI single by Joseph Dillon.
Vault-Tec again had a two-out rally in the second to take a 2-0 lead. Arlen Vaughn, Stephens, and Angel Serrano had consecutive singles for the lead. Serrano had the RBI, with Vaughn scoring.
In the fourth inning, Vault-Tec was able to extend its lead further. Anthony Savage led off with a walk, followed by a one-out double by Vaughn to move him to third. Stephens then hit an RBI groundout to score Savage.
Novac finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Noel Hanbridge and Cecil Houghton led off the inning with back-to-back singles, with Hanbridge advancing to third on Houghton’s single. Bob Seymour then hit into a 6-4-3 double play, allowing Hanbridge to score and cut the lead to 3-1.
Vault-Tec extended its lead even more in the seventh inning with yet another two-out rally. Serrano hit a one-out single and advanced on a stolen base. With two outs, Sexton doubled for the second time to drive in Serrano. Dillon then hit an RBI single to score Sexton. Ward was then pulled at this point, trailing 5-1.
In the ninth inning, the Vault Boys put the game out of reach. As you can probably guess, their runs came on a two-out rally. Bob Newsome started the ninth inning for Novac. Serrano led off with a single and was then out on a fielder’s choice by Tony Donnellson. After Donnellson advanced on a ground out, Dillon walked on four straight pitches. MC Mack Walt Williams then followed with a two-RBI double to make the game 7-1. After Claw Dog McKinney came in for the Dinosaurs, Savage hit an RBI single for an 8-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
Novac was able to scrap together a run in the ninth. Poseidon Last Name drew a two-out walk against Sykes. Ted Snyder then followed with an RBI double. Clyde Waller followed with a ground out to end the game.