LATE SURGE LEADS VIKINGS TO WIN OVER WOLVES
By Marc Atwood
marcatwood@aol.com
 
(3/12/08 Chico, CA) A four-run sixth inning helped the Pleasant Valley varsity baseball team take a 9-7 win over Shasta in an Eastern Athletic League game played Wednesday at Doryland Field.
 
The Wolves took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Lawrence Abrams hit a bases clearing double that allowed Brice Powell, Chris Miller, and Derek Ward to score. The Vikings responded in the bottom of the first when a single to center field by Evan Busby drove in Shane Gailbraith. Shasta added another run in the top of the second inning when Powell hit a single that brought home Ben Anderson.
 
Pleasant Valley added another run in the bottom of the second when a passed ball strikeout by Gailbraith allowed Steven Johnson to come home. A home run by Ward in the top of the third inning gave the Wolves a 5-2 lead. They added two more runs later in the inning when a single by Anderson drove in Abrams and Chase Gilreath.
 
In the Viking half of the third, Busby came home on a passed ball during David Simmons' at bat. Taylor Johnson later scored on a wild pitch during Cameron Hord's at bat. Pleasant Valley pulled themselves within two runs at 7-5 in the bottom of the fourth inning when a single by Taylor Johnson drove in Gailbraith. The last scoring opportunity Shasta would get came in the top of the fifth inning, but resulted in no runs as Anderson's groundout left Dallas Chadwick and Justin Dunlap stranded.
 
The Wolves were retired in order by Viking pitcher Nick Flory in the top of the sixth inning. When PV came up in their half of the sixth, a double by Taylor Johnson allowed Jordan Schwarz and Busby to come home as the Vikings tied the contest at 7-7. They took the lead when Simmons hit a single that drove in Patrick Randolph. Another run was added when Taylor Johnson came home on a passed ball during Gailbraith's at bat.
 
Gailbraith went 2-for-4 for PV with a pair of singles and scored twice. Taylor Johnson was 2-for-4 with a single, a double, three RBIs, and scored twice. Steven Johnson went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and scored once. Powell went 3-for-4 for Shasta with two singles, a double, an RBI, and scored once.
 
Taylor Johnson pitched two innings for the Vikings, allowing four runs, three hits, striking out four, and walking one. Flory pitched four innings, giving up three runs, six hits, striking out one, and walking one. Shawn Norton pitched the seventh inning and retired all three batters he faced, including striking out a batter.
 
Stephen Somers pitched five innings for the Wolves, allowing five runs, seven hits, striking out ten, and walking two. Gilreath pitched the sixth inning and gave up three runs, three hits, struck out two, and walked two.