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Coyotes extend streak to six, then split with Chaffey

By Nathan Ahle, The Daily Independent

The Cerro Coso Coyotes, riding a five-game winning streak and a wave of confidence, hosted the Chaffey College Panthers in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at the Dawg Yard.

The games were long and action-packed. and both teams came away with one victory when it was all said and done; the Coyotes won the opener 8-5, but dropped a 17-7 decision in the nightcap.

In the first game, Cerro Coso (11-4, 5-1 Foothill) rallied from a 3-0 first-inning deficit behind left-hander Ryan Hayden.

Coyotes Head Coach Dick Adams added that Hayden was "a little nervous," and said that the jitters may have caused Hayden's breaking ball to remain up in the zone early on.

The key for Cerro Coso came in the second inning, when Ryan Penn, playing as the designated hitter, drilled a pitch to the base of the left-field wall for a three-run double that scored Tony Texiera, Kip Keith and Nick Wagner. The shot gave Coso a 5-4 lead.

The Coyotes and Panthers battled until the fifth, when Chaffey scored two runs and chased Hayden from the game. Jaime Ruvalcaba and Shawn Smith had the only hits in the inning, but walks and a throwing error by Texiera caused problems. Ben Douglas, who earned his second win of the season, relieved Hayden with two out and got Panther Joey Sandercock to ground out to Rodney Black at second base with the bases loaded to end the threat.

In the bottom of the fifth, Texiera doubled and McLeod followed with another double to score another run, giving Cerro Coso a 6-5 lead.

The Dawgs added two more in the sixth, as Penn collected his third hit of the game.

Chaffey stranded 14 runners in the game, including another bases-loaded situation in the seventh and last inning.

In the nightcap, five Coyote errors and timely Chaffey hitting chased Cerro Coso starter Caleb Gallagher early.

Gallagher, a Mojave High School graduate, gave up seven runs in his two-inning stint, but only one of the runs was earned.

"We just collapsed on defense," said Adams.

Junior Dawkins, Darren Green and Matt Smith also pitched for the Coyotes, with Green giving up five runs, none of which were earned. Smith finished the game for the locals and struck out seven.

Cerro Coso hoped for a sweep, but Adams mentioned that the win gives the Coyotes a tiebreaker with Chaffey, by way of winning the head-to-head matchup.

The Coyotes have another tough test ahead, as the team will play San Bernardino Valley College with a Thursday matinee at the Dawg Yard and a weekend twinbill in San Bernardino.

March 7, 2004