Chukars Corner

The Chukars didn’t have to look any further than the eight walks and four errors that led to six unearned runs in its 9-5 loss Wednesday to the Casper Ghosts.

Casper jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, but would only earn one run the rest of the way. Three unearned runs came around in the fifth, after the Chukars tied the game 2-2, when pitcher Carlos Arias tried to field a bunt down the third-base line and get the lead runner at third base. Instead, he lunged a throw to third and it sailed to the fence. Chad Jacobsen scored on the play and Dustin Garneau and Dominic Altobelli later scored on groundouts thanks to the bases given away on the error.

“That team can run,” Chukars manager Darryl Kennedy said. “They’re aggressive and we fell right into the trap trying to do too much.”

Casper left fielder Chandler Laurent scored the team’s last earned run in the sixth with a solo home run. Casper followed with an unearned in the seventh thanks to the first of two Salvador Perez throwing errors and a wild pitch. It added two more runs in the eight on Perez’s second error.

Idaho Falls had a chance to take control of the game when it tied Casper 2-2 in the fourth. Left fielder Jovan Pickett, who went 3-for-4, beat out an infield single with two outs, allowing Joey Lewis to score from third.
Julio Aparicio started on second base and was moving on contact. But he thought Pickett was out at first and trotted the final half of the third-base line. Casper’s Garneau tagged him out at the plate when Aparicio would have easily been safe if he had kept running.

“You can’t assume,” Kennedy said. “You can’t make stupid mistakes and we made too many stupid mistakes, walked too many guys and we made too many errors. You can’t expect to win a ball game when you do that.”

Aside for Pickett’s 3-for-4 day, another one of his three hits was a bunt single, designated hitter Wil Myers continued to impress since joining the team 10 days ago as the Royals’ third-round draft pick. The 18-year-old crushed a mile-high home run to center field in the bottom of the sixth.

“He can swing the bat,” Kennedy said. “He’s not intimated up there no matter who’s on the mound.”