Thennis HR powers Sox
June 30, 2006 - Call him old school, call him whatever you want, but Jeff Horn's approach to baseball is paying dividends for the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox.
Hitting in the No. 9 spot in the lineup on Thursday, Horn went 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs as the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox (19-4, 15-4) won the first of four games against the Novato Knicks (23-11, 7-3) at All Seasons RV Stadium, 7-1.
“He had a perfect night at the plate, and he makes every play in the field,” Peek said. “I even got comments from the other team about his game. ... It's not all about home runs and doubles and strikeouts. It's also about the little things you bring to the game.”
Horn is a clean-cut, soft-spoken junior from the University of Colorado, and he is the only Gold Sox player who consistently hits without batting gloves.
“I haven't (worn them) for a couple of years except for a couple of games earlier this year,” Horn said. “I wore them all through high school, but I used to go through them so fast and so one day I decided not to wear them. I think I had a good game and just kind of kept it that way.”
He's been stellar in the field, committing just one error in 55 chances, but struggled at the plate early in the season. After 10 games he was 2-for-20 with a batting average of .100.
He's come on strong lately - he's now 14-for-49 with an average of .286 - but has no explanation for the turnaround.
“A lot of people have asked me that, but there's no difference in what I'm doing,” he said. “I have been working a lot with (batting) coach (Chris) Terry. He actually broke my bat throwing me change-ups in batting practice today, but it really helped in the game.”
Given Kutz (4-0) pitched six strong innings to become the first Gold Sox pitcher with four wins this year. He gave up one run on five hits, struck out three and walked two.
Alberto Rolon pitched the final three innings to earn his first save of the season. He allowed one hit, struck out three and walked one.
Joél Torres also had three hits for the Gold Sox, including a double in the eighth.
Doug Thennis put the Gold Sox up early with his second home run of the year, a two-run shot to left-center on a full count in the first. Johnathan Dees had walked before Thennis and scored on the home run.
The Knicks walked Thennis his next three times at bat before he lined out to third in he ninth to finish the evening 1-for-2.
Horn drove in Etienne Materre with a single in the second, A.J. Valentine hit a double to bring home Thennis in the fourth, and Brett Nightingale hit a sacrifice fly to score Horn in the sixth.
Horn then hit got his second RBI with a single in the seventh to score Materre, and Nightingale picked up his second RBI with a single in the ninth to bring home Torres for the Gold Sox's final run.
Novato scored its only run in the sixth when Branden Jiles singled and was later brought home by Dennis Peters with a sacrifice fly to Dees in left.
Neither team had an error.
GOLD SOX 7, KNICKS 1
WP: Given Kutz (4-0)
LP: Lek Cole
S: Alberto Rolon (1)
Next: Today, 7 p.m., Novato at All Seasons RV Stadium
TV: Channel 19
Radio: KUBA (1600 AM)
