Grizz leave Miners in the dark

Del Norte wins 2   up in Brookings

Zach Anderson of the Del Norte Grizzlies American Legion baseball team swings at the ball during a game in Brookings on Tuesday. Wescom News Service/Jef Hatch

Crescent City native Luke Seats started game one on the mound for the Grizzlies and pitched a solid four innings before tiring in the fifth and giving up six runs. Seats recorded four strikeouts before giving up the mound.

The Miners added another run to the six Seats gave up to take an 8-7 lead in the top of the fifth. The Grizzlies were not to be deterred though, as they battled in the batter’s box to score three and win the game 10-8.

 “We had a big lead in the first game,”  Del Norte head coach Eric Enos said. “We lost focus and gave up some runs, but we regained that focus and picked up the win.

“The boys hit the ball in some critical situations,” he added. “They battled back and got the hits when they needed them.”

The second game was the Grizzlies’ from the first inning, and the game stretched into the sunset as they controlled the pace of the  contest.

Isaac Sanders started things off with a hard-hit double to start the Grizzlies’ offensive machine. Joey LeFebvre followed it by getting on base after the Miner catcher dropped a third strike.

The next four Grizzlies, Johnny Fertig, Curtis Paulson, Tim Drafahl and Aaron Fitch, all hit singles to score five runs before Zach Anderson walked to break the singles streak.

The Grizzlies batted around the lineup and a two-run single by LeFebvre capped the inning when a running error by Josiah Johnson caused the third out.

“We had some base running mistakes tonight,” Enos said. “We were aggressive on the bases and that was good, but we had some mistakes too.”

The Grizzlies added two runs in the second, three in the third and one more in the fourth to cap the evening’s victory.

Starting pitcher A.J. Briganti threw five complete innings with 9 strikeouts and only allowed one run to cross the plate.

Briganti was given the green light to throw the knuckleball during the fifth inning by pitching coach Paul LeFebvre and was able to get one of three knuckles to be called strikes by the umpire.

“I don’t feel that I pitched well tonight,” Briganti said. “It took me 97 pitches to finish the night, and that is horrible for a five-inning game.”

Briganti was quick to credit his teammates with the win after admitting he didn’t have the best night of pitching.

“The team played really great defense behind me,” he said.

Enos had a different perspective on Briganti’s’s pitching.

“I’m really happy with the game A.J. pitched,” he said. “He really had some great stuff out there tonight.”

Del Norte improved to 9-14 for the season.

The Grizzlies lost both games of the district playoffs in California last week, and will head to Grants Pass today for their last two ball games of the season. The first game of the doubleheader will begin at 11 a.m.