Denton Outlaws win season opener 8-6

NT80 · June 8, 2005

Outlaws victorious in opener

LeSueur sparks dramatic ninth-inning rally for win

09:17 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 8, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

MINERAL WELLS — Reed LeSueur was scheduled to be little more than a fill-in for the Denton Outlaws in their inaugural season in the Texas Collegiate League this summer.

That plan might have gone out the window on Tuesday night after a solid debut for the Utah Valley State outfielder and the Outlaws in an 8-6 win over the Mineral Wells Steam.

LeSueur finished 3-for-5 and drove in two key runs that completed a dramatic ninth-inning rally to lift the Outlaws to a win in their first game of the season.

Denton trailed 5-3 in the top of the ninth before scoring five runs to pull away for the win in front of a crowd of 283.

“That was a great way to start,” Outlaws coach Derek Matlock said. “We kept fighting, had some guys get on late and had some big hits. That is what I like to see. We are going to be playing six days a week. If you don’t have guys who want to fight and play, they are all going to want to go home to their moms and dads in a month.”

The Outlaws showed that drive after Steam closer Cory Gearrin recorded the first two outs of the ninth inning on a pair of groundouts and then got Andrew Brown to chase a pitch outside of the strike zone.

Fortunately for the Outlaws, the ball bounced past catcher Adam Perry, allowing Brown to reach base.

The next four Outlaws batters reached base, including designated hitter Thomas Sawyer, who reached on an error by first baseman Stephen Bradshaw that allowed two runs to score.

LeSueur followed with a two-run single to center that gave the Outlaws an 8-5 lead. Denton signed LeSueur to a 10-day contract just before their game against Mineral Wells to help fill the void on the team’s roster left by several players who are still with their college teams.

“A one-run lead in this league is never enough,” LeSueur said. “You have to put the ball in play. Everyone is going to make mistakes, and you have to take advantage of them.”

The Steam appeared as if they would be the team to capitalize on a series of mistakes when they broke open a tie game in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Bradshaw sparked the Mineral Wells rally when he drew a leadoff walk off relief pitcher Chase Bayuk and moved around to third on a pair of wild pitches.

Outfielder Mike Mogard doubled to center to drive in Bradshaw and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Steam a two-run lead.

Kyle Hollander prevented the Steam from extending their lead at the end of the game and picked up the Outlaws’ first win of the season.

The Odessa College reliever allowed one run on one hit in 1 1/3 innings.

The victory was one of several firsts for the Outlaws on the night.

Outfielder Kris Jenkins hit Denton’s first home run, one of 10 hits the Outlaws posted on the night.

Denton will continue its season with a game on the road at Weatherford tonight before returning home to host Graham on Thursday in its home opener.

LeSueur likely will get a chance to play a large role in those games after his impressive start against Mineral Wells.

“Coach Matlock knew of me and asked me to join the team,” LeSueur said. “I wanted to play in the league and was glad they asked me to play in Denton.”

Outlaws stadium name changes

The Outlaws’ stadium naming rights agreement with Coldwell Banker New Century Solutions has dissolved.

The team entered into an agreement with the company to provide funds to help renovate its home field in exchange for the naming rights. The Outlaws changed the name of their field to The Ballpark on Bonnie Brae when their agreement with Coldwell Banker fell through.

“Other people in the Denton community are stepping up to help,” Outlaws general manager John Hampton said. “We have not filled the void yet, but other businesses have come through.”

Hampton said the Outlaws would maintain a relationship with Coldwell Banker and the change in plans would not prevent the team’s field from being completed in time for Denton’s home opener on Thursday against Graham.

The Outlaws are playing on the field, which is owned by the University of North Texas this season. The team is expected to move into a new facility next summer.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

Denton 111 000 005 — 8 10 0

Mineral Wells 200 010 021 — 6 8 4

Justin Boyette, Brandon Alford (3), Daniel Edwards (5), Chase Bayuk (7), Kyle Hollander (8) and Damian Gomez. Jordan Kraft, Bryan Dykes (6), Brett Lester (8), Cory Gearrin (9) and Adam Perry. WP – Hollander (1-0), LP – Gearrin (0-2). 2B – D: Reed Lesueur; MW: Mike Mogard. HR – D: Kris Jenkins (1). Records – D 1-0, 1-0. MW 1-2, 1-2.