Bison clobber Nebraska Prospects to open home series
Jun. 9—LARAMIE — The Gem City Bison rebounded from a rocky week in Idaho in dominant fashion Wednesday night, blowing out the Nebraska Prospects 24-11 to snap a four-game skid and improve to 5-6 overall.
Gem City scored runs in each of its five turns at the plate, and never trailed following an eight-run first inning. The game, which was scheduled to be seven innings as the first half of a doubleheader, was called in the top of the sixth.
Center fielder Derek Wood led the Bison offensively, going 4 for 4 with five runs and two RBIs. Five other Bison recorded multi-hit performances, with shortstop Quinn McCafferty and catcher Luke Banister recording three each with a combined seven runs scored.
"It's huge for us to have all the momentum going our way," Wood said. "Hopefully we can take the next one and go into tomorrow feeling good, as well."
The first inning got off to a positive start for the Bison, with starting pitcher Matt Slowik forcing a groundout and recording a strikeout right off the bat. The Prospects' bats came alive with two outs, however, and they would plate three runs on four straight hits.
Shortstop Nolan Brown started the rally with an infield single, before advancing to second on an error. Designated hitter Tristan Gomes brought Brown into score with an RBI triple that landed just inside the foul line in right field, before scoring on a single by first baseman Ryan David that snuck through the left side of the infield. Right fielder Colin Lyman produced Nebraska's final run of the inning with an RBI double to the fence in left-center.
Gem City struck back immediately in the bottom half of the inning, thanks to patience at the plate and poor accuracy on the part of Nebraska starter Preston Menicucci, who didn't make it through the frame.
Wood led off the inning with a double, followed by a walk from McCafferty and a single by Banister. Corner infielders Nike Pezonella and Keegan Sueltz proceeded to draw back-to-back bases-loaded walks, with left fielder Tico Pererra and second baseman Justice Panton doing the same after two outs to put Gem City ahead 4-3.
Nebraska brought in Kael Dumont to take over on the mound, but it didn't stop the bleeding for the Prospects. Wood sent the second pitch he saw down the left field line for a three-run double and McCafferty stretched Gem City's lead to 8-3 with an RBI triple into the gap in left-center.
The Prospects threatened in the top of the second, getting runners on first and second with no outs. The Bison escaped a potential jam, though, as McCafferty and Panton turned a double play and Slowik recorded a strikeout to strand a runner on third.
Gem City added two more runs in the bottom half of the inning, stretching its advantage to seven. Pezonella sent a leadoff triple to the center field wall, with Sueltz bringing him in to score on an RBI single. Sueltz then stole second and third base, and scored on a broken-bat single into shallow center by Pererra.
"We play good defense," Gem City coach Tim Gansrow said. "That's the hallmark of this team, and we preach quality at-bats. When you see a day like today where they're getting deep into counts and attacking early, and doing the things they need to do, it's wonderful to watch. Now, we just hope that carries into our second game."
Nebraska got back on the board in the third, as Lyman blasted a grand slam to straightaway center with no outs. Slowik responded by retiring the next three batters, keeping the lead at three. Wood and McCafferty opened the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back doubles, with McCafferty driving in Wood before stealing third and scoring on an attempt to catch Banister stealing at second.
The Prospects made up ground again in the fourth, with a two-out triple by Brown setting up a two-run home run by Gomes. Right fielder Tyler Godrey turned momentum back in the Bison's favor when it was their turn at the plate, however, sending a solo shot over the right field fence for the first home run in franchise history.
Gem City continued to pile it on in the fifth, extending its lead to 24-9 as McCafferty, Sueltz, Godfrey, Pezonella, Panton, Banister and Justin Ross combined to drive in 11 runs.
"It's very exciting for us," Wood said of his team's high-scoring innings. "We've had it done to us a couple times this season, so it's good to be on the winning side of it. It just feels really good and keeps everyone loose."
Added Pezonella: "It's a blast. Guys are chirping at each other, having a good time and laughing. It's fun to win, but at the end of the day, we're just trying to put together good at-bats, score some runs and help our pitchers out."
The second game of Wednesday's twin bill concluded after press time. First pitch for today's series finale is set for 7:15 p.m.
Josh Criswell covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at jcriswell@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @criswell_sports.
