Story by Bob Otto/OttoinFocus
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Pyle and Price hurl Panteras to Palm Springs championship
PALM SPRINGS, CA – Manager Fernie Ramirez had an enviable option – start one, relieve with the other. And that’s just how Ramirez worked his pitching staff of Gerald Pyle and Travis Price.
The two right-handers split three games on Sunday in leading the Panteras of Norwalk to the championship of the Southern California Independent Fastpitch League Alliance Tournament at Demuth Park in Palm Springs, April 24-25.
And in the championship game, Price started and went four innings. Then Pyle came on in relief over the final three frames to pick up the win in a 4-2 victory over Maccabi USA. The win capped a weekend where the Panteras carved out a 5-1 record.
For Pyle, sharing the rubber was just fine with him.
“I would throw three or four (innings) and then Travis would throw three or four,†said Pyle, a Fargo, North Dakota native who now calls Southern California home. “I liked it. Sometimes you have to change up things with hitters. Travis throws a really great change up and rise ball, and I throw the drop ball and rise.â€
And there’s another factor in the pitchers sharing games. For Price, it was his first outing of the season. While Pyle has been getting plenty of work since the season started in February.
EASING PRICE IN
“With his (Price) first time out, I didn’t want to over throw him and hurt him,†Ramirez said, adding that both pitchers will pitch for his ball club in SCIFL play when available from their full time teams.”
Reports say that Price will pitch for the California A’s. While Pyle will team up with 22-year-old Cory Avery of Nova Scotia, Canada, and pitch for Rude Pac of Sunland, California.
In the championship game, Price allowed one hit, struck out four, walked one, and didn’t allow any earned runs in his four innings. While Pyle held Maccabi to one hit over the final three frames.
TOUGH UNDER PRESSURE
And in the sixth he pitched himself out of big trouble. Maccabi loaded the bases with two out, but Pyle induced a ground ball, ending the inning to keep the game tied at 2-2.
“Gerald pitched a very good tournament,†Ramirez said. “He was throwing the ball smooth and kept the ball down. But we left too many men on base. Three times we had opportunities to cash in runs. We’re like an old Chevy, we take time to warm up and get going.â€
While Maccabi couldn’t capitalize in their half of the sixth, the Panteras did by scoring two unearned runs to pull out the win. Three errors and a passed ball accounted for all of Panteras runs.
MACCABI PITCHING SOLID
Maccabi starter, Jason Gluckman, pitched a solid three innings allowing three hits and an unearned run. In the fourth, Debbie Day, came on and pitched 2 1/3 innings. She gave way to lefty, Russ Snow, in the sixth with Panteras parked on second and third and one out.
Snow’s riser got a strike out. And he appeared to be out of trouble when his drop ball produced a ground ball, but the throw sailed by first base allowing both runners to score.
And that’s all the runs Pyle needed. He shutdown Maccabi in the seventh to pick up his third win of the tournament. But he gave the credit to the guys swinging the bats.
“They (Panteras) all put the bat on the ball,†Pyle said. “There are no easy outs.â€
FORMER WILDCATS GREAT
For Day the loss was disappointing, but none-the-less, she enjoys the challenge competing on the men’s side of the sport.
“The pitching distance is further (46-feet men, 43-feet women) and the men are so much stronger,†said Day, 40, who hurled the University of Arizona to the NCAA Division One National Championship in 1991.
“They (Maccabi) pick me up for tournaments when they need me or want me there. They play really good defense for me and they’re my favorite team to play on,†Day added.
The Panteras marched through the tournament by knocking off Maccabbi, 5-0, in round robin play on Saturday, along with a 5-4 victory over Liberty Fastpitch. The Panteras only loss came at the hands of Canadian, Cory Avery, and Black Curtain, 2-0, in extra innings.
But in Sunday’s playoff the Panteras got even by knocking off Black Curtain and Avery, 2-1, in the opening game. They followed that by holding off San Diego PrimeTime, 3-2, setting up the rematch with Maccabi.
After posting a 1-2 record on Saturday, Maccabi USA came roaring back on Sunday. They opened the day by beating the Palm Springs Express, 6-1, Liberty Fastpitch, 8-0, and in the semi-finals, Maccabbi knocked off the Long Beach Black Sox, 6-5.
