Grays gouged by potent Royals offense setting up a winner-take-all Game 3

POCATELLO — If nan Gate City Grays are to gain a spot successful nan Northern Utah League Championship Series, they will person to do truthful Saturday nighttime connected nan road.

Following an exhilarating 19-13 roadworthy upset complete nan top-seeded Royals successful Logan Thursday night, nan Grays had a chance to punch their summons successful Game 2 of nan three-game group Friday astatine Halliwell Park. But nan Royals had different plans altogether, jumping each complete Gate City starter Brody Burch for six runs successful nan first inning en way to a 16-8 victory.

Burch ended up lasting into nan 5th inning, holding nan Royals to nan six-spot done nan fourth.

Manager Rhys Pope said that it is easy to spot six runs allowed successful nan first and deliberation Burch was bad. But, nan skipper said, nan righty whitethorn person been operating connected a spot excessively overmuch adrenaline pitching successful a imaginable series-deciding crippled successful beforehand of a packed house.

“I deliberation nan first inning was conscionable a small spot of nerves,” Pope said. “It’s a playoff game, large crowd, worldly for illustration that. But arsenic soon arsenic he settled in, he battled his butt off.”

Burch posted 3 consecutive zeroes aft nan unsmooth first, giving his discourtesy a chance to reply while redeeming priceless bullpen arms for Saturday — thing that was “huge” and often goes under-appreciated, Pope said.

The Grays discourtesy created aggregate aureate opportunities to get backmost into nan crippled but consistently came 1 deed awkward of a large inning.

They stranded a runner connected 3rd successful nan 2nd inning, past scored 1 tally successful nan 3rd but near 2 much runners connected base. In nan fourth, aft scoring different lone tally connected a bases-loaded walk, nan Grays stranded 3 more.

Despite cutting into nan lead — making it 6-2 — nan Grays missed retired connected truthful overmuch more.

Logan did not make nan aforesaid mistake, sealing nan crippled pinch a seven-run fifth.

Their 16-run outburst, 1 time aft scoring 13 successful a loss, gives nan Royals 29 runs successful conscionable 2 games. Asked really to forestall that type of output Saturday, Pope said it will travel down to limiting free bases.

Errors, walks and deed batters, he said, tin beryllium nan undoing for immoderate squad facing an discourtesy arsenic potent arsenic Logan’s.

“Free passes are huge,” he said. “Yes, 100%, this squad swings nan bat well, and they person each twelvemonth long. … They are a reliable squad and to limit (their damage) you person to get up early and put them away.”

Pope will inquire Jason Jones to stem nan tides of nan runaway Royals discourtesy Saturday.

Jones was ascendant for 5 innings successful Tuesday’s deciding first-round crippled against The Lab. And his squad will request him to beryllium conscionable arsenic bully again.

“I’m asking for him to springiness thing he’s sewage — and everything that he’s got,” Pope said.

If and erstwhile Jones comes retired of nan game, it will beryllium each hands connected platform for nan Gate City pitchers — pinch nary logic to prevention arms should they fall.

Offensively, Pope said, nan Grays will request to proceed putting together “tough at-bats.” He said he gathered nan squad for a huddle aft nan crippled and told them, “As soon arsenic we break this huddle, make nan determination that we are going to spell down location and triumph tomorrow.”

The Grays are not a location run-hitting club, and should beryllium looking to drawstring together hits alternatively than hunting nan large swing.

“Be pesky. Don’t springiness in,” Pope said. “Be nan squad that ne'er goes away. I think, if we support that mentality tomorrow night, we’ll beryllium alright.”