Sunday, June 29, 1997

Dogs win last game of series

LUBBOCK - The Abilene Prairie Dogs salvaged the final game of their four-game set with the Lubbock Crickets Saturday night with a 4-2 victory in front of 2,778 fans at Dan Law Field.

The win, however, may have been a costly one as starting pitcher Troy Dean Conkle was forced to leave after 613 strong innings with an arm injury. The extent of the injury was not immediately available.

The Crickets drew first blood in the game, scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning off of Conkle. With one out Lubbock's J.D. Ramirez, who entered the game leading the Texas-Louisiana League in batting with a .419 average, singled home Mike Hardge, who had doubled.

The Dogs, though, tied the game in the top of the third inning. With one out in the frame, Jason Keith drove a 2-2 pitch into left-center field for a single. Scott Bethea followed that single with one of his own, and Keith advanced to third on the base hit.

Then, with two outs, Jason McClure ripped an RBI single which drove in Keith. The Dogs missed out on a chance for a big inning, however. With just one out, Barry Takahashi scorched a liner toward left-center which Lubbock shortstop Paul Petrulis stabbed for the second out of the inning. In addition, on McClure's RBI single, Bethea was thrown out at the plate.

Lubbock immediately regained the lead, though, in the bottom of the third inning. Petrulis led off the inning with a single and then proceeded to swipe second base. He was then driven in by Hardge, giving the Crickets a 2-1 lead.

Once again, the Dogs clawed back to tie the game, this time in the fifth inning. After Keith singled, Takahashi drove him home with an RBI single.

The Dogs then took the lead in the top of the sixth. Jeff Kiraly began the inning by drawing a base on balls. Mike Vallarelli then blasted a double to the wall which drove Kiraly home, giving the Dogs a 3-2 advantage.

Abilene finished the scoring in the eighth inning. Shawn Hughes began the inning with a walk, and advanced to third on a Kiraly single. Vallarelli then recorded his second RBI on the evening with a fielder's choice ground out.

The Dogs will now return home for a six-game homestand beginning Monday night. It will be the final six games before the end of the first half of the season.