By MICHAEL MCQUAIN
prsports@postregister.com
IDAHO FALLS - It was ‘Bull Durham’ meets ‘Groundhog Day.’
Terrible pitching, stranded base runners, an unending stream
of batters, and that was just the top of the first-inning.
Idaho Falls fell to Helena, 6-5 Sunday afternoon in a 3 ½
hour marathon that felt more like a double-header. The loss plunges the Chukars
to 7-14 in the Pioneer League second half.
Helena wasted no time jumping on starter Daniel Gutierrez. After
giving-up two singles and a walk to open the game, Gutierrez saw Brewers
clean-up hitter Chris Errecart slap a bases-loaded chopper to third, scoring
Chuckie Caufield. Catcher Andy Bouchie then followed his grand slam from
Saturday with a two-run single to left, as the Brewers grabbed a 3-0 lead before
a single out had been recorded.
But the Chukars hitters rallied behind Gutierrez in the
bottom of the first.
After O.D. Gonzalez led-off with an infield single, Jase
Turner crushed a Chris Jean pitch over the wall in right, his sixth home run of
the summer, to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
“I was trying to wait for a pitch up in the zone after
swinging at a lot of balls in the dirt, trying to have patience,” said Turner
of his first homer against a team other than Orem .
But in the second, Caufield ripped a shot to the gap in
right centerfield which he stretched into a triple. Then, when a Gutierrez
pitch got past catcher Matt Morizio, Caufield raced home, making it 4-2
Brewers.
Once again, the Chukars batters came to the rescue.
Left fielder Alvi Morel slapped a 2 RBI single into center,
scoring Marc Maddox and Morizio to level the score at 4-4.
“I’ve been hurt for two weeks, but now that I’m back on the
field it feels good to get my groove back” said Morel.
In the Idaho Falls 5th, after spotting Helena two more runs,
infielder Kurt Mertins drove Morel home with a single to left, but that was as
close as the Chukars would get, eventually stranding nine base runners enroute
to the 6-5 final score.
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