That’s Kissock with a ‘K’

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This article was published 07/09/2014 (4354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LINCOLN, Neb. — With two outs on the board and everything to lose, Goldeyes closer Chris Kissock stared down at his final opponent and he just… knew.

He knew that he could wind up, let the ball fly, and win the game.

All Kissock had to do was put up one last K on Lincoln Saltdogs shortstop Mike Gilmartin, who was threatening in the bottom of the 10th. He fouled off the first pitch Kissock hurled at him; on the second pitch, he swung and missed.

“Once I got two strikes on him, I knew I was going to throw the split-finger, throw it until he struck out,” Kissock said, still exhaling from the rush of the game. “I was just executing a pitch, and knowing that’s game over.”

Game over, indeed. With his third and final pitch, Kissock struck Gilmartin out to close the extra inning and clinch a 7-6 comeback win. With that, the Goldeyes grabbed a 2-1 series lead and have a chance to close out the American Association semifinal today, as the teams suit up for Game 4 at Haymarket Park.

Ah, the Lincoln field. It’s a pretty little park to play in, with the elegant facade of Memorial Stadium, home of Nebraska’s beloved Cornhuskers football team, looming just in the middle distance. But it has its drawbacks, as Fish outfielder Donnie Webb learned early in the tilt, on a tough play that nearly cost the Fish the game.

The Goldeyes were leading 2-0 in the bottom of the third, when starting pitcher Nick Hernandez ran into a little trouble. He gave up a lead-off double to Gilmartin, then struck out two before walking second baseman Luis Nunez. But Lincoln outfielder Matt Forgatch blasted an RBI double to put Lincoln on the board, the Fish opted to walk dangerous slugger Ian Gac and then… well, mistakes happen.

The mistake in question: As Saltdogs outfielder Brian Joynt smacked the ball, Webb struggled to see it against the bright sun and leering shadows that spot around Haymarket Park. The ball bounced off his glove, and the resulting error allowed all three runners to score, vaulting the Saltdogs into a sudden 4-2 lead. They padded that in the bottom of the fifth, when Joynt blasted a two-run homer.

‘Once I got two strikes on him, I knew I was going to throw the split-finger, throw it until he struck out’

— Goldeyes closer Chris Kissock

The Goldeyes weren’t about to go down without a fight. In the top of the sixth, outfielders Reggie Abercrombie and Webb singled, and Josh Mazzola strolled up to the plate. On the second pitch he saw, he slammed a huge, three-run home run to narrow the gap to 6-5.

“I knew his ball cut a little bit, I was trying to stay out of the way. I knew I had runners on base, and I was fortunate enough to elevate it out,” Mazzola said later. “I didn’t really show well in my first swings of the day, it’s kind of hard to see here during the day. But Rick (manager Forney) trusted me with that situation to go for the big inning, and not just go for maybe one run if you sacrifice.”

The Goldeyes pushed forward, tying the game at six apiece in the top of the seventh, with a big solo shot from Casey Haerther. The Saltdogs couldn’t respond. One of their best chances came in the bottom of the seventh, when Gac strolled up to the plate with two runners on the bags. That could have been a game-killer, for the Fish. Instead, reliever Kaohi Downing mowed Gac down, and they closed the inning out shortly thereafter.

For the next two innings, both teams’ bullpens battled. In extras, the Fish finally clawed their way ahead, taking the lead when a sacrifice fly from catcher Luis Alen allowed Abercrombie to scramble home. Then Kissock went to work in the bottom of the 10th, and the game was done.

“The adrenaline was kicking in pretty good,” Kissock said. “The whole game was just an entertaining game. I think that’s the best game I’ve been a part of in a long time, the most intense. The whole game, in the bullpen, I couldn’t sit down. I was pacing.”

In all, the Fish out-hit the Dogs, rapping 16 base hits to Lincoln’s 10. They opened scoring with a big solo homer from Jake Blackwood in the first, then an RBI sacrifice fly from shortstop Tyler Kuhn in the third.

The Saltdogs were largely working without their starting pitcher, as Kevin McGovern went down with an injury in the third inning, though he’d given up five hits and two runs (one of them earned) in that time.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca