WICHITA, Kan. - The Santa Maria Indians had stranded 14 baserunners Wednesday night.

Kyle Gerhart made sure they would not strand a 15th.

He smacked a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Indians a 5-3 win in their 2007 National Baseball Congress World Series debut at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The Indians spotted the Community Bank (Kan.) Cowboys the first three runs of the game, then rallied.

Gerhart didn't enter the game until he went to right field with the score 3-3 in the top of the ninth. He singled Will Campbell to second base with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Josh Meagher flew out to left field.

Campbell kept the Indians' 11th alive when he singled to left. That marked Santa Maria's third straight inning with a single after the first two batters went down. The ninth and 10th were fruitless for the Indians, then Gerhart delivered in the 11th.

Down 3-2, the Indians had the bases full with no outs in the eighth. They salvaged one run when Josh Thomas drew a bases-loaded walk with one away. That forced in Campbell who led off with a bunt single.

Santa Maria moved into the winner's bracket and will play the Austin (Texas) Gold Sox-Crestwood (Ill.) Panthers winner Saturday at a time to be determined. The Gold Sox and Panthers play a late game tonight.

Advertisement

The Cowboys will play an elimination game Saturday.

The Indians had planned to start staff ace John Thomas - Josh's older brother - on the mound against the Cowboys but went with Nate Smith instead. A Santa Maria team official said Indians manager Scott Nickason figured, after scouting the Cowboys, that the Indians could afford to rest Thomas.

Turned out the former Triple-A pitcher was needed.

Thomas, who was in the minor leagues until his release earlier this year, came on as the Indians' fourth pitcher with two outs and Kenny Waddell on first base via a walk in the 10th. The left-hander retired Blake Blasi on a fly ball to left field, then worked a 1-2-3 11th.

The Indians' official said Nickason planned to start John Thomas Saturday.

Smith has been one of Santa Maria's most effective starting pitchers, but the Cowboys chased him after 3 2/3 innings Wednesday night. The designated visitors snapped a scoreless tie on Waddell's RBI groundout in the third. Brian Thompson scored the second run on first baseman Jeremy Bamsey's throwing error on the play.

Brandon Hall plated Craig Mayes with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0, and that was it for Smith. Cody Smith (no relation) came in and kept the Cowboys scoreless until Josh Walter came in with two outs in the eighth and did the same.

Walter worked two innings and allowed one hit, Thompson's lead-off single in the 10th. Thompson was later erased on a double play.

Having stranded four runners to that point, the Indians broke through in the fifth. Ryan Overland doubled to lead off. Josh Thomas moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt. Overland scored on the second of Chase Leavitt's four singles.

Third baseman Blake Crosby drew a lead-off walk in the Indians sixth. Bamsey atoned some for his throwing error with a two-out single that scored Crosby.

Other than an eighth-inning jam, Santa Maria's relievers kept the Cowboys quiet after the fourth.

Blake Hurlbutt hit a one-out double in the Cowboys eighth. Waddell singled him to third, and then stole second base.

Smith got Blasi to ground out to Crosby. Walter came in and slammed the door by getting J.P. Roberse on a fly out to right fielder Leavitt.

The Indians outhit the Cowboys 13-8. Crosby and Campbell both had two hits.

The Santa Barbara Foresters are the Indians' arch rivals and defending Series champions. They play their first 2007 Series game Saturday against the Moreno Valley Rockets.

August 02, 2007