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Emeralds lose home opener

Steve Yingling

Tahoe Emeralds manager Gary Shidaker blamed no one but himself for a 9-8 semi-pro baseball defeat to the Nevada Yankees in their home opener Saturday at Todd Fields.

“One-run games are the absolute worst for the manager … especially when you lose, you just pick yourself apart,” Shidaker said.

Shidaker felt he left reliever Justin James in the game a batter or two too long. The Yankees capitalized, hitting a two-out grand slam in the sixth inning to turn a 5-3 deficit into an 8-5 lead.



“We played errorless ball and I had (Dan) Schwab ready to come in, and I’ll be darn if I didn’t leave the pitcher in one batter too long,” Shidaker said.

STHS graduate Starbuck Teeven staked Tahoe to a 3-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run double. Tahoe starting pitcher Dusty Gooch kept the shutout intact until he surrendered a leadoff walk and hit batter to start a two-run rally in the Yankee third.



Gooch, who was replaced by James in the fourth inning, singled and scored on Jimmy Woods’ double in the fourth, making the score 5-3 Tahoe.

Behind 9-5 in the eighth inning, the Emeralds rallied for three runs. Pat Roseblade smacked a one-out double, Schwab walked and Gooch doubled them both home. Gooch scored on Teevan’s sacrifice fly.

Nevada closer Matt Wheeler got the final out in the eighth with a runner on second base and retired the Emeralds in order, including two by strikeout, in the ninth.

Despite the tough defeat, Shidaker was happy with the improvement his team showed in one game.

“That was their 20th game and our second. They beat us 19-8 the first time and we made 11 errors,” Shidaker said.

Woods was 3 for 5; Teevan collected two hits and three RBIs; and Brian Mills tripled.

Tahoe, 0-2, will play the Yankees at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Lampe Park in Gardnerville, then return home to Todd Fields to play the Burlingame Braves at 4 p.m. Saturday and the Sacramento Sultans at noon Sunday.


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