Evins tosses gem
The Seattle Studs locked up the Horizon Air Summer Series title for the third straight season, but Trent Evins must not have received the memo.
The reigning Gold Sox Pitcher of the Year and first team All-HASS performer looked as if he was throwing for his team's livelihood on Thursday night.
It didn't matter to him that the Marysville Gold Sox are ending the summer without a title; he just wanted to give the fans something to cheer for.
And after a season-best, 10-strikeout performance in a 2-1 victory over the El Dorado Hills Vipers at Appeal-Democrat Park, Evins trotted off the mound to a standing ovation.
"It was a great pitcher's duel," Evins said. "(Catcher Michael Quesada) did a great job of calling the game. He does a great job setting up hitters. I wouldn't have had all those strikeouts without him."
The right-hander out of New Mexico Highlands University improved to 7-2 this summer with one more start to go. He reached six wins in 2009.
Evins went 62⁄3 innings, throwing 75 pitches. His only blemish was a solo home run in the top of the fourth off the bat of Viper center fielder Nick Rosso.
The LeGrande, Ore., native sat down the first eight batters he faced and ended his outing by retiring eight straight.
Scott Greene relieved Evins in the seventh and struck out four straight. Things became interesting in the ninth inning after two Marysville errors, but Kendyle Blank eventually induced the game-ending double play.
"Right now we're just trying to give the fans are hardest," Evins said. "It has been an awesome summer."
Not lost in the shuffle was the performance of the El Dorado Hills pitching staff. Gold Sox batters struck out 11 times and only produced four hits.
The newest member of the Chico State Wildcats, former Yuba City High/Sacramento State outfielder Aaron Crouch, knocked in the game's first run with an RBI single to right field that drove home Michael Wiseman in the second.
After Rosso's homer in the fourth tied things up at 1-1, the Gold Sox answered back with Casey Coy's single down the left field line that brought Quesada in to put Marysville ahead 2-1.
Marysville skipper Jack Johnson was quick to give credit to Viper starter Stephen Ostapeck for shutting his offense down and, despite not winning the series title, he is happy with the intensity his ballclub is showing.
"They're playing for each other," Johnson said. "They need to do that for the next seven games. I don't need to tell them that because they have a lot of pride."
Marysville (28-11, 27-9) needs two more victories to satisfy the team goal of reaching the 30-win plateau. Sean Burns (1-1, 3.46 ERA) will make his first start on the mound and go for No. 29 tonight in the finale of this brief two-game series.
"I told them, 'You have seven days left and you built something here," Johnson said. "'Don't take anything for granted.'"
