LV falls in another marathon

Nick Christensen

Monday, April 12, 2004 | 9:36 a.m.

The Las Vegas 51s wouldn't complain if they could ease into the regular season.

The day after losing a 7-6, 10-inning, three-hour, 20-minute marathon against the Portland Beavers, the 51s again fell Sunday in extra frames, this time 3-2 in 11 innings. The Easter Sunday matinee, played in front of an announced Cashman Field crowd of 1,746, lasted three hours and seven minutes.

Most of the team arrived at the stadium around 9 a.m. Sunday, just 10 hours after they'd left Saturday.

The 51s stranded 19 runners over the weekend, including 12 on Sunday. Las Vegas had runners in scoring position in the ninth and eleventh innings, but could not convert. Ben Risinger's RBI single to left scored Portland's Tagg Bozied in the 11th put the Beavers ahead.

The long game Saturday, followed by the early start Sunday, frustrated Las Vegas manager Terry Kennedy. He said going through long games this early in the season is tough, particularly on pitchers, who have pitch count limits.

Every Las Vegas reliever pitched in at least one of the two games, Mark Johnson pitched in both.

Even more frustrating for Kennedy, though, was the runners left stranded.

"We had our chances, we left about 10 guys on base," he said. "You'd think somebody would pick somebody up from second."

The long game also meant that some players expecting rest would play.

"I wanted to give some guys time off. They all got to bat in this game," he said. "Joe Thurston, Rick Bell, Shane Victorino, I wanted to give them rest, it just didn't happen. We had to let Montero hit in the 10th. We were short in the pen."

Thurston said there's nothing special a player can do to get ready for a game on such short order.

"You go get to sleep, but you prepare for it the same way as every other game," he said. "You just don't have as much time to do it."

Kennedy pointed out that both teams were tired coming into Sunday's performance, but the Beavers were able to capitalize better.

"You have to play hard, long game or not," he said.

The 51s will host the Tacoma Rainiers tonight at Cashman Field. The Rainiers are 1-3 after a four-game series at Tucson.