Wednesday, July 23, 1997

Hyde sparks come-from-behind victory

By TED DUNNAM / Abilene Reporter-News

Jerod Hyde singled four times, walked once and drove in four runs, leading the Abilene Prairie Dogs to a 13-7 come-from-behind win Tuesday night over the Lubbock Crickets.

The Prairie Dogs trailed 6-4 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, but scored three times for a 7-6 lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Abilene then put the game away with a six-run seventh.

Jason McClure and Manny Gagliano opened the sixth with singles. McClure was then thrown out at third on a missed sign with Efrain Contreras at the plate. Contreras, Jay Andrews and Shawn Hughes then each walked to pull Abilene within 6-5.

Hyde then delivered the game-winning hit when his seeing-eye check-swing single found its way through the right side of the infield to drive in two runs.

Daryl Monroe opened the Prairie Dog seventh inning with a home run that easily cleared the wall in left. Jeff Motes then reached on an error and came home on McClure's single to center for a 9-6 lead.

Following a throwing error, Contreras singled home McClure for a 10-6 lead. Andrews and Hughes then walked and Hyde followed with his fourth single of the game, bringing home the Prairie Dogs' 11th run.

Jason Keith ripped a single to left to drive in one run and another scored when Lubbock's Mike Hardge misplayed the ball.

Lubbock added a single run in the ninth inning when J.D. Ramirez singled home Mike Hardge.

The victory snapped a four-game slide for Abilene.

Abilene took a 4-0 lead after the first inning, forcing Lubbock starter BrianMadigan to labor through a 50-pitch inning.

Monroe doubled to start the inning and after Motes walked, McClure bunted therunners up a base.

Gagliano followed with a run-scoring single, and consecutive walks to Contreras and Andrews brought in the second run. Hughes' single then made it 3-0and a walk to Hyde stretched the advantage to 4-0.

The damage could have been worse but Keith lined into an inning-ending doubleplay.

That lead was short-lived as Lubbock responded with five runs in the top of the second inning.

ndy Skeel's sacrifice fly pulled the Crickets within 4-1 while a hit-batsman and an infield single by Paul Petrulis made the score 4-2. Lubbock second baseman David Lowrey then lashed a two-run triple to the wall in right to tie the game at four.

Hardge then punched a single to centerfield to give Lubbock the lead at 5-4.

The Crickets padded the lead to 6-4 on an RBI-groundout by Brad Gennaro in the fifth inning before Abilene rallied for the decisive three runs in the sixth.

Prior to the sixth inning, the Prairie Dogs had stranded 10 runners.