Evans' slam sends Rangers galloping past Longhorns

By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call


For much of last night's Tri-County League playoff game against Gilbertsville, East Texas was trying its best to hold off Mother Nature's brand of thunder and lightning.

But in the end, it was the thunder and lightning from Jeff Evans' bat that doomed the Longhorns as his sixth-inning grand slam gave the visiting Rangers a startling 8-4 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-3 semifinal round series in East Texas.

Gilbertsville, the Tri-Co's two-time defending champions, can nail down a return trip to the league finals by winning tonight's second game, slated for 5:45 p.m. at Boyertown Junior High East.

The Rangers (25-6) seemed on the verge of being down a game when they trailed 4-3 with two out in the sixth, rain falling, skies dark and dimming by the minute.

Gilbertsville had runners on second and third with nobody out, but lanky East Texas righthander Josh Gunkle struck out two batters in a row to get within one out of an escape and, in all likelihood, a Longhorn victory.

But then Gunkle walked Greg Gilbert and Bob Drumbore to force in the tying run. Before Gunkle could get over that disappointment, Evans slapped the first pitch to him over the fence in left for the game-deciding slam.

Suddenly, it was East Texas praying for a monsoon. It never came.

"You never know how things are going to turn out in this game," Evans said. "It didn't look good. We were down 4-3 and one out away from probably losing because it was raining and so dark. But actually, it cleared out and got a little brighter. All we wanted was a chance to hit in the sixth inning and see what would happen.

"Gunkle gave me a fastball on the inside part of the plate. He had been throwing me that on the first pitch in my other times up and I was taking it. This time, I turned on it and hit it pretty well."

After Evans' slam, East Texas went quickly in the bottom half of the sixth. The umpires, who had stopped play for about 10 minutes in the top of the sixth due to lightning, called a permanent halt to the game before Gilbertsville came to bat in the top of the seventh.

"We had a couple of chances to put them away, and against a good team like that, you must put them away when you have the chance," said East Texas player-manager George Horn. "We didn't do it. Hopefully, we can put this behind us and get a win (tonight) and come back here Sunday to play Game 3."

Horn, whose Longhorns won the Tri-Co's North Division with a 21-8 regular season record, admitted that the conditions were not ideal for playoff baseball.

"Everybody was thinking about the weather, and wondering if, and when, the umpires were going to call the game," Horn said. "I think that made it tough to concentrate. The umpires had a tough decision. It gets dark here fast when it gets dark. But their hitters came through when they had to. We have good hitters, too. They just didn't hit tonight."

East Texas did score four runs in the first two innings. Veteran Gilbertsville hurler Tom Hartman had to exit the game with a sore arm in the first inning.

Bob Drumbore replaced him and served up a bases-loaded triple to Jeremy Warmkessel with two out in the second that erased a 3-1 Gilbertsville lead and gave East Texas the one-run advantage.

Warmkessel, an Allen High grad, had a sacrifice fly in the first, meaning he had all four RBI for East Texas. Matt Moore and Tim Brader each collected two hits.

But Drumbore, an imposing lefthander, shut down the Longhorns on just two hits over the last four innings.

"Drummy gave us a lift, taking control on the mound," Evans said. "We just found a way to win. This is what it's all about. This is my 11th season in this league and I still love it. It's still fun."

Even on stormy nights in East Texas.



keith.groller@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- August 5, 1994

Copyright © 1994, The Morning Call