Charles Rich
MOORPARK -- Glendale Community College baseball player Jimmy Stone
didn't run on empty Thursday.
There wasn't time to in the ninth inning for Stone, who made two
important baserunning decisions which helped GCC produce an 8-7
come-from-behind Western State Conference interdivision victory against
host Moorpark College.
Stone used his centrifugal force to score the game-winning run moments
after he advanced on a foul ball out to give Glendale (20-3, 11-2 in
conference) its second last at-bat victory this week.
With the Vaqueros trailing, 7-6, Jon Horwitz hit a grounder to second
with the bases loaded. Moorpark's John Day fielded the ball, but GCC's
Evan Shahak got into a rundown and afforded John Manuel and Stone to
score.
I had to just keep running," said Stone, who finished with two hits
and two runs scored. I didn't want to be stuck at third base because I
was running on adrenaline. I couldn't say if I was tired."
It was the kind of victory which rarely occurred last year for the
Vaqueros, who used a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the 11th
inning from Ryan Noll on Tuesday to topple Oxnard College, 6-2.
Thursday's game was a paradox for the Vaqueros, whose four errors
helped Moorpark (5-17-1, 5-8 in conference) build a 6-0 lead in the
fourth inning.
Then GCC awoke from its offensive slumber to tie the game at 6 in the
sixth inning.
Moorpark hit the ball hard at us and we cracked," Glendale Coach Jon
Strauss said. But our players still had a chance to rebound. Stone has
got speed, and I just hoped he would keep running. It was a play that I
was going to take a chance on because I was sure he'd score."
GCC was bolstered by its bullpen Thursday. Josh Herman (2-0) earned
the win, and Ivan Lopez picked up his team-leading fifth save.
Vaquero starting pitcher Kevin Welch yielded seven runs, but only one
earned.
It seems like every game is nerve-wracking," Strauss said. We beat a
first-place team in Oxnard and then came back to beat a team like
Moorpark which had nothing to lose."
