University of North Carolina Athletics
Kyle Snyder Picks Up First Pro Win
August 28, 1999 | Baseball
Aug. 28, 1999
Janie McCauley - The Spokesman-Review
Spokane -- The Spokane Indians call it small ball. But center fielder James Shanks admits it's just basic baseball.
That's the style they played in Thursday's big 7-3 victory over Boise before 5,246 fans at Seafirst Stadium that moved them 31/2 games ahead of the Hawks in the Northwest League's North Division heading into the teams' final meeting of the season at 7:05 tonight.
"Today's game was really good for us," said Shanks, who went 2 for 5 and scored his team's run in the first inning. "We needed to at least win one in this series to put pressure on the other teams instead of putting pressure on us."
Spokane starter Kyle Snyder demonstrated why he is one of the Kansas City Royals' top prospects. The 6-foot-8 right-hander threw five hitless innings with four strikeouts and a walk to earn his first career victory in his fifth start. It was the first time Snyder, a first-round draft pick out of North Carolina, went long enough to qualify for a win. He was on a pitch limit of 65. And as soon as Snyder left, the Indians surrendered their first hit. The Hawks scored three runs on two hits in the sixth off Snyder's reliever, left-hander Jay King, who walked two in the inning. Boise's Josh Shaffer doubled to lead off the inning and Alfredo Amezaga singled. Yet King settled down after the sixth, retiring six straight batters before closer Jay Gehrke came in for the ninth.
Spokane had seven hits through the fourth inning and led 3-0. Eric Nelson hit a run-scoring double in the first that bounced and hit the left-field wall and the Indians scored two more in the fourth on three singles and four in the fifth. Eric Nelson pounded a run-scoring double to the gap in left center in the fifth.
oise first baseman Casey Kelley, who played at Washington State, said the Hawks know the importance of tonight's game.
"It will kind of make you or break you," he said. "They could go on a cold streak and we could stay hot and gain a couple. But you can't worry about what they're going to do. We have to worry about us."
Note: Kyle Snyder has pitched 17.2 innings during five appearances (being on a strict pitch count each outing). He has struck out 19 and walked 3 while compiling a team leading 1.02 ERA.
