Friday, June 20, 1997

Wildcatters clobber Dogs

TYLER - The Tyler Wildcatters pumped out 17 hits on the way to a 12-6 victory over the Abilene Prairie Dogs Thursday night in a Texas-Louisiana League baseball contest.

Abilene, which slipped to 12-16 on the season, had 11 hits on the night but the effort wasn't enough to bail out losing pitcher Troy Dean Conkle (2-2). He pitched 31/3 innings, giving up 10 runs, all earned, on 13 hits. He walkedtwo, struck out one, hit one batter, and had two wild pitches and one balk.

Winning pitcher Clemente Nunez (1-0) allowed five runs on six hits in five innings, with four strikeouts and two bases on balls.

Tyler's hitting attack was paced by Carlos Perez, who was 4 for 4 with a double and one run batted in, and former Prairie Dog Jack Johnson, who was 3 for 3 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored.

The Prairie Dogs gained a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI groundout by Effrain Contreras and a run-scoring single by Manny Gagliano.

Tyler tied it 2-2 in the second inning, but the Prairie Dogs regained the lead, 5-2, with a home run by Jay Andrews.

But the Wildcatters scored one run in the third inning on Derek Henderson's RBI single, then took the lead, 10-5, with seven runs on six hits and one error in the fourth.

Tyler, 16-13, tacked on its final two runs in the sixth on Johnson's RBI double, and a triple by Sean Collins.

The Prairie Dogs returned home from Tyler after the game and will play host to the Wildcatters tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Scott Field as they begin a seven-game homestand. John Baack (2-3) is scheduled to start on the mound for Abilene.