Gators win wild one to advance

Spencer Patterson

Friday, July 28, 2000 | 9:45 a.m.

The frustrated look on Green Valley coach Ron Sufana's face said it all after Thursday night's American Legion Baseball District championship: A celebration simply wasn't in the cards.

Although his team had just posted a 15-13, eight-inning victory over Chaparral to capture the 12-team tournament and advance to the upcoming Legion State Tournament, Sufana had his choice of reasons to keep his players from rejoicing.

First, the Gators coach had witnessed his squad blow a 12-2 lead. On the verge of forcing the mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth, Green Valley committed a series of costly errors to open the door for the Cowboys, who tied it up, ultimately forcing extra innings.

Second, Sufana had just seen a near-brawl erupt between the squads at the game's conclusion. After tempers flared on both sides throughout the seesaw contest, John Grose's game-ending strikeout of Dan Habel set off an incident near home plate, with coaches separating the two sides before things got physical.

Lastly, Sufana knew that his team's victory had earned it a date with regular-season champion Durango, a club the Gator coach called "the best hitting team he's seen in years."

So it wasn't a major surprise the Gators spent their postgame moments getting an earful from their coach, instead of dogpiling on the field.

"Chaparral and us have a heated rivalry, and the last couple of innings we started playing our opponent instead of playing the game," Sufana said.

Holding a 10-run lead with one out in the Cowboys' sixth, Green Valley appeared to be on the verge of closing out a textbook win. The Gators had gotten a solid outing from starting pitcher Ryan Tabor (four innings, four hits, seven strikeouts) and had taken advantage of control problems by Chaparral starter Matt Huff to take command of the contest.

But three errors by the left side of the Gators' infield -- two by Eric Durante and another by Zeke Parraz -- gave the Cowboys new life, and they took full advantage.

Chaparral scored four times in the sixth to make it 12-6, then plated six more in a stunning seventh inning that saw momentum swing completely to the Cowboys' side.

In the eighth, however, the Gators reclaimed control of the game, as pinch-hitter Kache Trease doubled home a run to give his club a one-run advantage. Moments later, Kyle Price singled down the left-field line to bring around two more runs, and Green Valley had a 15-12 lead.

Chaparral very nearly came back again in the bottom of the inning, with John Kelbel blasting a solo homer off Grose to give his club hope. But with runners at first and second and two out, Habel -- the cleanup hitter -- struck out swinging.

"I didn't want to see Habel up there," said Sufana, who had intentionally walked the Chaparral first baseman twice previously in the game. "But John (Grose) did a good job battling."

The State Tournament gets under way Saturday at UNLV's Wilson Stadium, with Cheyenne and Palo Verde matching up at 5 p.m. Silverado takes on Cimarron-Memorial in Game 2 at 8 p.m. On Sunday, Northern Nevada representative Reno will face Basic at 5 p.m., with the Trailblazers and Gators squaring off at 8 p.m.

The week-long, double-elimination event will conclude on Saturday, Aug. 5, with the winner earning a berth to next month's Region 8 Tournament in Ogden, Utah.

Spencer Patterson

covers prep sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at 259-4085 or by e-mail at spencer@lasvegassun.com