Great Falls White Sox

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Sox nab 'huge win'

Walk-off double bolsters playoff hopes

By CURT BACKA

Tribune Sports Writer

 

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TRIBUNE PHOTOS BY JOHN W. LISTON

Great Falls White Sox second baseman Antoin Gray slides safely into second under the tag of Billings infielder Rusty Beale Sunday at Legion Park.

 

 

 

 

If the Great Falls White Sox make the upcoming Pioneer League playoffs, they can thank Mario Valenzuela.

 

Valenzuela clubbed a two-run, two-out ninth-inning double that gave the White Sox what might be a momentum-changing 3-2 walk-off victory over the Billings Mustangs Sunday before 2,965 at Legion Park.

 

"It's the kind of win we needed to get to the playoffs," said Valenzuela, who recently joined the club on a rehabilitation assignment from

 

 

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Charlotte.

Valenzuela's towering flyball bounced off the center-field wall and scored Micah Schnurstein with the tying run. Chris Young joyously romped home with the winning run to snap Great Falls' three-game losing streak and kept the White Sox a game behind Helena for the second-half lead in the Northern Division.

 

The White Sox play a critical two-game series with the Brewers starting tonight in the Capital City. Helena routed Missoula 16-0 Sunday.

 

"To play as bad as we played and still come up with a win is big," said Great Falls' manager Chris Cron. "We went 0-for-5 on hit-and-runs, had guys picked off on the bases, made three errors and we still were in position to win the game."

 

"It was a huge win for us," said club MVP Mike Myers, whose in opportune eighth-inning throwing error gave Billings a 2-1 lead. "It was nice to finally catch a break because we haven't had many the last few games."

 

Schnurstein opened the inning with a solid single to center field. Young, trying to move Schnustein in scoring position, laid down a bunt, which was mishandled by Billings' pitcher David Shafer.

 

Antoin Gray, in attempt to advance the runners, popped up a bunt attempt which was caught by Billings' first baseman Joey Votto.

 

Myers, with a prime chance to redeem himself after the error, fanned leaving it up to Valenzuela.

 

"He (Shafer) first threw me a fastball I couldn't catch up with," said Valenzuela. "And then I go down 0-2, and he tried a couple of sliders.

 

"I thought he might come back with a fastball and he did."

 

"Mario's hit is the kind of thing that could carry us right into the playoffs," said Cron. "And you have to credit our pitching, especially Mike Moat, for keeping it close today."

 

Moat, a 6-foot-1 right-hander from Longmoat, Colo., continued his good outings on the mound. In relief of starter Boone Logan, he pitched three innings of one-hit ball and was the victim of Myers' error in the eighth.

 

"He gave up the one run, which was unearned, but, otherwise, he gave us a chance in the end to win it," said Cron.

 

"If we get into the playoffs, it will be because of our pitching," said Myers. "And hopefully we can get our bats going."

 

The White Sox tagged Billings' pitching for 13 hits on Sunday, but weren't able to capitalize.

 

They picked up a run in the first inning and threatened in the third and fifth inning only to come up empty.

 

"That's been the story lately," said Cron. "We get guys aboard and either we can't move them over or we don't get the big hit."

 

To make the playoffs the White Sox must either win the second half or if Helena wins the second half, they can get in by having a better overall record than Billings. The White Sox are now 38-33 overall, while the Mustangs are 36-35.

 

Great Falls' final five games are on the road, the two in Helena and three more in Billings.

 

"No doubt we have played better baseball on the road," said Cron, whose club is an even 19-19 at Legion Park and 19-14 on the road. "And that is something I can't explain."

 

Sean Tracey, who pitched a rare complete game last Wednesday in his last start, gets the start for the White Sox tonight in Helena.