2013 Roswell Invaders News

And then there were none. Pupfish hand Invaders first loss

Matthew Faiman gets safely into thi

Matthew Faiman gets safely into third as the ball gets by third baseman Ryan Pembroke. (Photo by Josh Szwaczkowski)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

ALAMOGORDO -- The Pupfish did something Wednesday no other team has been able to do this season: they beat Roswell 8-7 to had the Invaders their first loss of the season.

It did take 10 innings -- which made the loss a little easier to take -- but that also made the win sweeter.

"It feels great," said White Sands manager Ernie Munoz. "The way we did it on the comeback win, its the best feeling in the world."

"Thats the way it goes," said Roswell manager Chris Ebright. "We just happened to get beat in the bottom of the last inning."

The win was topped off with a walk-off triple by Mark Leacox, but there was lots of excitement earlier.

The game was close and low-scoring early, with strong performances by both starting pitchers.

Eric Zagone went seven for the Fish, giving up only four runs,

Matthew Faiman scored in the first when he reached on a fielders choice and scored on a single by Roger Bernal and Vincent Mejia double.

The Invaders got two more in the second on a Nate Theunissen single followed by an Andrew Deeds shot over the left-field fence. Roswell got one more run in the fourth when Deeds beat out a bunt single, advanced on a ground out and scored on a single by Chad Kruse, who was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double.

Alamogordo got one run off Invader starter David Mueller when J.J. Costantino was hit, advanced on a put out and scored on a George Ban single. Mueller kept the next four innings scoreless, but left in the fifth because of an injury.

"I really wish we could have used him another inning or two, but his arm was just hanging," Ebright said. "The way he battled with his arm sore. Hes a tough kid."

The Pupfish closed the gap to 4-3 in the sixth off A.J. Alexander, scoring on a Mike Mendoza single that dropped between the fielders in short center field and a Cody Collins home run. White Sands took a 5-4 lead in the seventh off Jacob Cook, who gave up an Andrew Parrish single; a long RBI single by Costantino; a Mendoza RBI single and a fielders choice and error.

And while the start of the game was error free, things started looking a little sloppy late.

Roswell tied the game in the eighth off Pupfish reliever John Saavedra.

Bernal singled, Mejia was hit then one out later, Theunissen advanced on catcher obstruction to load the bases. Deeds singled to deep left, but left fielder Mendoza singled a catch and Theunissen turned around, headed back to second and was caught off base.

That sparked a discussion between the managers and umpires but once thing settled down, Saavedra got the final out.

Jesus Carlos came in and set the Pupfish down 1-2-3 in both the eighth and ninth, and Nick Alexander did the same to Roswell in the ninth. But in the 10th, it appeared as though the Invaders would pull out another come from behind victory.

With one out, Mejia walked off Justin Kuks then McCarthy reached first on a fielders choice that saw Mejia safe at third. Theunissen reached on a second error, scoring Mejia, then a Deeds fielders choice and error scored McCarthy. Carlos then walked, but Erick Gaylord struck out, putting the lead at 7-5 and setting up the Pupfish heroics.

With Carlos still on the mound, Jerry Gonzales singled. Mendoza walked, Gonzales advanced on a wild pitch and came home on a George Ban single. WIth the small but very enthusiastic crowd cheering their favorites on, Collins got the first out of the inning then Leacox came to bat and on a 2-2 count, nailed a shit into center that brought home the winning runs.

"Its unbelievable. Very exciting," Leacox said of the win. Asked what he was thinking at the plate, "Just stay short, quick to the ball and hit it hard. Simple," he said.

How did he feel knowing how Carlos had pitched in the previous two innings?

"I had a lot of confidence. I was just looking for a good pitch in the zone to get a good swing on. Keep it simple. Challenge him."

And thats what he got.

"Absolutely. I was very happy with that. Very happy. Theyre a very good team. Im glad to get a win."

"We played strong," Munoz said. "Our errors were in the ninth inning. We played no-error baseball until the ninth inning then we let a few get away, but the best part about it is we didnt stop fighting and we came back and scored three in the bottom of the 10th."

Ebright didnt seem too concerned with the loss.

"We knew they could hit. We used up a lot of bullpen and I wasnt going to use up any more. Jesus did a great job," he said.

Roswell heads back to Joe Bauman Stadium Thursday for a matchup against Alpine, and Ebright said there wont be any changes.

"Were not going to do anything different. Weve got our starter, Jonathan Sa going tomorrow. Were going to just keep playing baseball."

White Sands will face Trinidad, but Munoz said he doesnt care who comes to town.

"We just want to play our own ball right now," he said. "Weve been playing against the other teams and beating ourselves. We just have to play our game the way we play."

Munoz back, but Pupfish still cant stop Invaders

Chris Peacock started on the mo

Chris Peacock started on the mound for White Sands, giving up seven runs but only three earned. (Photo by Josh Szwaczkowski)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

ALAMOGORDO -- Going on the road couldnt stop the juggernaut that is the Roswell Invaders, as they topped White Sands 15-6 in the Aquarium Tuesday to up their win streak to eight games. But while the Pupfish lost, they had one thing to celebrate as manager Ernie Munoz finally joined the team, promising changes that he hopes will help the squad right itself.

"Ive been talking to the guys while I was gone, now Ive seen it first hand, so I know the changes that need to be made," he said. "I was going off what other guys were telling me, but its always better to see it with your own two eyes and now that Ive seen it, I think I know the changes I need to make and Ill make them."

Tuesday, the problem was too many errors, some shaky pitching and not enough timely hits. Roswell only used three pitchers -- starter Ryan Richardson and reliers Scott Elitzky and Eric Lambe -- and made their hits count.

"Richardson, Elitzky and Lambe. Three pitchers in one game. Thats great," said Roswell manager Chris Ebright. "They threw strikes. White Sands, they hit the ball pretty hard and right at a couple of our guys, so we got lucky in a sense in a couple of innings because another two inches higher and it would have been an RBI double. But still, thats the game of baseball. But our pitchers did very well tonight and our hitters got on base and we put pressure on some people."

The Invaders sent eight batters to the plate in the first, starting off when CHad Cruse reached on a two-base error. Pupfish starter Chris Peacock then got the next two batters batters, but Ryan Normoyles sac bunt scored Cruse, and the final out was hard to come by.

Vincent Mejia doubled into the net in left field, Charles DUbanski and Nate Theunissen walked and Andred Deeds hit a three-run double.

White Sands scored one in the bottom of the first when Monoz -- catching as well as managing -- singled and scored on singles by Mike Mendoza and Cody Collins.

Roswell made it 5-1 in the third on a solo home run by Mejia, then added two more in the fourth on two errors, with Cruse scoring on a passed ball Mejia bringing in Roger Bernal on a single

The Pupfish had their biggest inning in the bottom of the third.

Richardson walked George Ban, allowed a Chris DeBiasi single and Jerry Gonzales RBI double and a 2 RBI J.J. Constantino seeing-eye single, a shot that bounced off Richardsons glove and then right under the glove of the second baseman.

Neither team scored in the fifth but Roswell added another five runs in the sixth on five hits, a hit batter and an error and another three in the eighth on a ground-rule RBI double by Erick Gaylord and a ground out.

Reliever Andrew Parrish helped end the inning wneh a Normoyle shots bounced off his glove and he was still able to recover in time to throw it to first for the out.

The White Sands fans had a little bit to cheer about in the bottom of the eighth when Collins singled, Ryan Pembroke walked and Collins came in on an error. Two wild pitches later and Pembroke came in with the final Pupfish run.

Munoz, who was 2-for-4 with a run scored as a player, said as the manager, he knows what needs to be done to get the team back on track.

"I saw a lot of people who are injured on our team, who havent been telling me that," he said. "I didnt know the injuries that had occurred and I had guys out there playing hurt, so Ive got to take care of that and get some fresh legs in there. Our pitchers, they just need to pound the zone. They need to throw more strikes and they all know that. Were going to talk about that right now and hopefully going forward were going to fix that."

Ebright said while the fans may be talking about the Invader win streak, the players arent.

"Its just the way it goes. In a season like this, with so many games, you can win six, seven eight in a row then the next week lose five, six, seven in a row. Obviously were playing well. Confidence is great with these guys and well just keep taking it one day at a time."

Invaders win pitching duel vs. Pupfish

Andrew Shoemaker tries to lay down the bunt. He didnt succeed -- he was thrown out at first -- but he pitched seven innings, shutting out the Pupfish. (Photo by Robert Bailey)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

ROSWELL -- For six innings Monday, Roswell and White Sands battled in a pitchers duel, with Pupfish Matt Gibbs and Invader Andrew Shoemaker keeping the other team off balance and off base. Even though Roswell won 7-4, Invader manager Chris Ebright had praise for both teams.

"That was a great ball game," he said. "Heck, we finished in 2-1/w hours. Gibbs, hes a great pitcher for them and for us, Shoemaker went seven scoreless. He did great."

There were only two runs through six innings, both by Roswell.

In the bottom of the first, Chad Kruse singled and advanced to second on a 1-3 ground out by Ryan Normoyle. During that defensive play, Gibbs caught a knee in the back of his calf, but staying in despite the pain.

"After that, he was pitching through that injury right there," said acting White Sands manager Andrew Parrish. "He was struggling with that. I know that was hurting him as well, but he got through it and did a great job. He kept them scoreless for four innings, five innings right there. He battled through it, we just didnt swing the bats early. Thats what weve got to do to win ball games."

Despite the injury, Gibbs got a second out but then Vincent Mejia singled, putting the Invaders up 1-0.

Mike McCarthy opened the bottom of the second with a triple but once again, Gibbs got two outs before Erick Gaylord singled to score McCarthy.

After that, Gibbs shut Roswell down through the sixth, while the Pupfish were unable to cross the plate vs. Shoemaker.

The Invaders got out of the fourth with a double play, then, with two outs in the fifth, Steven Rogers singled and Gibbs reached on an error that put runners at second and third, but George Ban flew out to center for the third out.

Both teams put one batter on in the sixth but couldnt score, then White Sands put runners on fist and second in the seventh, but Mark Leacox, who had doubled, was out at third on an unusual third to first double play, and the Invaders came back in the bottom of the stanza to score two runs.

Andrew Deeds opened the inning with a double and scored on a Matthew Faiman single and two-base error. Faiman then scored on a Kruse single.

The last two innings belonged to the relievers, and while Faiman got out of the eighth unscathed despite a single by Ban and throwing error, Fish John Saavedra wasnt quite as lucky.

The first two batters he faced, Charles Dubanoski and McCarthy, singled, advanced on a wild pitch and, with two outs, scored on a double by Gaylord who stole second and came home on an error.

White Sands finally got on board in the ninth off relieve Jesus Carlos, who, Ebright said, was pitching on little rest.

"We just used him the other day and I just wanted to see what he could do with not a lot of rest and hell be just fine," the manager said.

Leacox walked and stole second, Ryan Pembroke singled then, with two outs, Ban walked to load the bases and Christian Ramirez hit a 2 RBI single. Mike Mendoza followed that with a 2 RBI single, but Carlos helped his own cause when Cody Collins hit back to the pitcher, who threw to first for the final out.

Ebright said the late comeback reminded him of the Invaders.

"Thats kind of the way we had been in the first six games," he said. "We were kind of lulled through the first five, six, seven innings. Thats the game of baseball. Its not like basketball you can just run the clock out or football you can take a knee. You have to play all night."

And, Parrish said, playing all night is what his team needs to do.

"As far as we go, we didnt swing early," he said. "As you can see, we didnt swing the rest of the night. So their pitcher did well. He kept us off balance a little bit, I guess you could say. He pitched well and we didnt hit it so he did his job. We have a great hitting team, and as you can see, right there at the end, we can put it together. Weve just got to start putting it together a little earlier."

The teams will continue the series at the Aquarium in Alamogordo Tuesday and Wednesday, and both coaches are thinking positive.

"Were going to do it," Parrish said. "Weve got two more games at home against them, and were going to get it done. Well be at home and everything will be good to go."

"Weve seen them in spring training. Weve seen them the last two nights and Im sure its going to be a couple of good baseball games," Ebright said. "The one thing Im happy about it that weve already hit at their field. Weve seen the backdrop. But again, theyre a good baseball team and it should be a couple of good games."

Invader streak stretches to six with victory over Pupfish

Case Rigby picks off Matthew Faiman

Case Rigby picks off Matthew Faiman at first. (Photo by Robert Bailey)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

ROSWELL -- After five innings of not looking good at all, the Roswell Invaders bounced back yet again Sunday, going from a 5-0 deficit vs. White Sands to a 7-6 victory. And the key to the win was a pitcher, pinch hitter Jonathan Sa, who tied the game at 6-6 in the eighth before Erick Gaylord gave Roswell the one run edge. Jacob Cook then came in and got the Pupfish one-two-three in the ninth to give the Invaders their sixth straight win.

"Our guys keep battling," said Invader manager Chris Ebright. "Kids kept battling. Tip your hat to his starting pitcher. We couldnt figure him out."

White Sands came into the game looking strong, as the bats made contact and starter Justin Kuks shut the Invaders down.

The Fish went up 3-0 in the second when Case Rigby singled; Cody Collins reached on an error then, after Rigby was called out trying to get home, George Ban doubled and Ryan Pembroke doubled Collins and Ban in. Pembroke then scored on a wild pitch before Ed Kohout got the final out.

White Sands left the bases juiced in the third, but added a pair in the fourth when Pembroke walked, Kuks reached on an error and back-to-back singles by J.J. Constantino and Christian Ramirez brought the runners in.

Roswell finally broke their scoring drought in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two when Chad Kruse doubled, Matthew Faiman walked then, with two outs, a wild pitch and a VIncent Mejia single brought the runners in.

The Invaders made it 5-3 in the sixth off reliever Matt Barger when Gaylord walked, stole second, went to third on a walk and hit batter then came home on a fielders choice.

Roswell left the bases loaded -- something both teams did several times Sunday -- when Chad Hadzinsky got the final out.

The Pupfish got the run back in the seventh on a walk to Rigby, who advanced on a wild pitch and came home on an error.

But once again, Rowell wouldnt go quietly, getting out of another bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth when they turned an error by first baseman Nate Theunissen into a double play that closed out the inning, then scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Sas heroics were set up when Faiman reached on a Pupfish error. With one out, Mejia and McCarthy each walked to load the bases, and this time, the runners came home,

Theunissen hit into a fielders choice that saw Faiman out at the plate, but reliever Michael Willis walked Andrew Deeds to force in Mejia and Sa came in to pinch hit, singling home two with a ball that bounced off the pitchers glove then took a bad hop past the infielder. Gaylord then singled in Deeds for what would be the winning run.

"Coach (Kevin) Dore and I had a feeling (about Sa), and thats what you do," Ebright said. "Had a feeling he could do it and we put him in there."
 "They ended up getting runners on there then they got the hit when they needed it. Thats it. Thats baseball," said White Sands acting manager Andrew Parrish. "We just didnt get the timely hit when we needed it."

What made the win even sweeter for Roswell was that the team did do terrible early on.

"We didnt look good," Ebright said. "Offense, defense. We did not look good at all. It was just like we were kind of out of our rhythm. Maybe it was the early game, early time. I dont know what the reason was. We didnt have the enthusiasm we had until the second half, and a hit here and a hit there and good things happen."

The Pupfish out-hit the Invaders 11-8, and both teams made three errors. But 12 walks by four White Sands pitcher were enough to make the difference. Kuks, who was not involved in the decision, struck out 10 and gave up his first run of the season.

A.J. Martin got the win for Roswell with Cook getting the save.

The teams will meet again Monday in Roswell, and Parrish continued to think positive.

"Im not worried about what theyve got going," he said. "I know what weve got here and we can beat that team. We beat ourselves right there. As simple as that. They got the timely hit and we walked a few guys and that hurt us right there and once they got the hit they got the lead. But we can play with these guys any day. Im not worried about that. Weve got a squad."

Ebright said the six-game opening streak doesntworry him.

"No. I dont think you get nervous at all," he said. "Weve still got 64 more games. Its (a loss) going to happen. No team ever goes 70. Its not going to happen. Weve still got 64 more games. Ill take these as we go."

First pitch Monday is set for 6 p.m.

Roswell gets series sweep over improving Train Robbers

Robber first baseman Adam Kam is re

Robber first baseman Adam Kam is ready as the ball comes straight to his glove. (Photo by Robert Bailey)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

ROSWELL -- The final game of the five-game series between Roswell and Las Vegas ended pretty the same way the other four did -- with the Invaders getting a last-inning victory -- but Game 5 was different in that that 8-7 loss belonged more to the pitcher than the hitters.

And, both managers agreed, it was the best game for both teams.

"I think both teams played a lot better," said Invader manager Chris Ebright. "Today was more of a baseball game. There wasnt that many errors. There wasnt as many hits as been going on. The pitchers did well. For the most part, we made the routine plays and it was more of a strategic game than just an all-out, everyone hitting."

"I think this was the best baseball game we played so far, and things just havent gone our way this first series," said Train Robber manager Casey Dill. "We made one error. Our defense played very well overall. The one error ended up costing us two runs, which ended up being the difference in the ball game. But we have nowhere to go but up from here. It was good to see we played a solid baseball game all around. Roswell is a team thats going to make you beat them. The one costly error cost us big but we kept fighting to the end, and were going to win a lot more baseball games than we lose."

Its an interesting line score that tells much of the story.

Each team scored two runs in three different innings. Roswell scored another two runs in a fourth, while Vegas only scored one. That one run was the difference between losing and a tie. But initiall, it looked like the Robbers might finally have things going their way.

After Will Walsh reached on an error, Matt Gross homered to put them up 2-0. Robber starter Derrick Martinez then struck out the Invaders in the bottom of the inning before Las Vegas made it 4-0 after 1-1/2.

A.J. Alexander doubled and scored on a Gary Stauff single. With two outs, Walsh walked and Gross got his third RBI of the game on a single.

Martinez started the second the way he ended the first, with two strikeouts, but catcher STauff dropped the third strike and Charles Dubanoski made it safely to first. Mike McCarthy and Andrew Deeds both singled, scoring Dubanoski, and McCarthy scored on a sacrifice by Jonathan Sa.

Roswell tied it in the fourth when Dubanoski and McCarthy hit back-to-back doubles, and McCarthy came home on a fly ball and wild pitch.

The fifth inning was the difference, as the Robbers again went up, but could onbly bring one run across. Walsh doubled and Gross singled him in.

Martinez walked Vincent Mejia in the bottom of the fifth and, after another of his nine strike outs, gave up a home run to McCarthy, making it 6-5.

The Invaders stretched their lead in the sixth off reliever Michael Kershner and that one big Vegas error.

Chad Kruse was hit and Matthew Faiman reached on a bobble by the third baseman. Kruse then scored on a fielders choice that put Roger Bernal at first, and after he was wild pitched to second, he came home on Dubanoskis second double of the day.

But, as been the case through the entire series, the game wasnt over until the fat lady had sung. Jesus Carlos came in for Roswell in relief in the seventh, giving up singles to Walsh and Randy Wells, then, with two outs, walking Adam Kan and allowing a 2 RBI single to pinch hitter Joey Naskell.

The game then came down to the relievers, and they did their jobs.

Ben Runyon got Roswell out in the seventh and eighth, and while Ryan Rogers put runners on base in both the eighth and ninth, the Train Robbers couldnt plate those runners, with the game ending on a double play from Chad Kruse to Dubanoski.

"That was a great turn by Chad Kruse," Ebright said. "Great job by Ryan Rogers to close them out the last two innings. Theyre a heck of a hitting baseball team, so everybodys going to be on the edge of their seats when it comes down to the eighth and ninth innings, but youve got to tip your hats to those guys for battling and tip your hats to our guys for closing out the baseball game."

The middle of the Invader lineup did most of the damage Saturday, with McCarthy 3-for-3 with three runs and RBI; Deeds 2-for-3 with 1 RBI; and Dubanoski 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Sa got the win with Rogers getting the save.

Walsh and Gross led the Robbers. Walsh was 2-for-4 with three runs; Gross 3-for-5 with one run and 4 RBI; and Staff was 2-for-4 with one run and RBI.

"I saw a lot of positive things today, and going down to the last three outs in the ninth inning, we gave them a run," Dill said. "We played good baseball. If we play baseball like this consistently throughout the season, were going to be fine. The goal is to make the playoffs and give ourselves a chance and if we can play like this I think well be right there at the end."

Las Vegas heads north Sunday, looking to gets their first win in Trinidad. The Invaders stay home, as White Sands (1-3) come to Joe Bauman Stadium. So what will it take to continue the winning streak?

"Just keep playing baseball," Ebright said. "Baseball is a game you just keep playing your thing. Theres going to be some strategy with some of their hitters, but weve seen their guys in spring training, and they can hit a little bit, too."

First pitch is set for 5 p.m.

Gaylord homers help Roswell to big victory

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

ROSWELL -- Friday, Invader fans had a chance to breathe easy for most of the game vs. Las Vegas, as, in contrast with the first three games between the two teams, Roswell went up early and continued to stretch the lead, winning 16-4.

The big difference was the second inning, which saw the Invaders send a bakers dozen to the plate, highlighted by the first of two home runs by Erick Gaylord.

"I knew Erick Gaylord could do that," said Roswell manager Chris Ebright. "I knew he could do that, thats why we brought him here, and hes got speed and power, which are two great things for a baseball player, obviously."

The Invaders left the bases loaded in the first without scoring, but they had no problem with that in the second. Andrew Deeds led off with a triple, then, one out later, Gaylord and Chad Kruse singled; Ryan Normoyle and Roger Bernal each reached on errors; Vincent Mejia walked; Mike McCarthy singled; Nate Theunissen doubled; and, now back where they started, Deeds doubled and that was it for Train Robber starter Anthony Nalepa.

But Chuck Fontana, just called up to Las Vegas, didnt do much better, giving up the Gaylord home run.

Will Walsh got the first Robber home run with a solo homer in the third, then singles by Randy Wells, Chris Wilson and Adam Kam in the fourth made it 10-2, but Roswell closed out the inning with a crowd-pleasing double play.

Roswell added another four runs in the bottom of the stanza, two coming off Gaylords second home run of the night, and two on a pair of walks and a single.

It wasnt the first time the right fielder had smacked two shots in a game -- the first time, he said, was in a summer league in 2011 -- and he wasnt even sure either was going out.

"They just kind of barely cleared the fence, so I ran hard, hit it hard and they happened to go out today," he said.

The fifth and sixth were scoreless, then, with Eric Lambe in in relief of starter David Mueller, Las Vegas got two runs on an error, walk and Chris Wilson double. But that was all Las Vegas could score, and the Invaders added an insurance pair in the eighth on a Lambe single and Normoyle home run.

"A little surprising," Ebright said of the left-fielders blast. "We knew he had a little pop, but we didnt know he had left-center pop being a left-handed hitter."

For Las Vegas manager Casey Dill, the loss was more of the same. "Were consistently the same team every night," he said. "I cant expect us to put up 12 runs every game. It would be nice to think that we would. I think most games we are going to put up a lot of runs and tonight we didnt, but any game, no matter how many runs you score, if you have a 10-run inning and you give up 10 hits in three innings and youre walking guys, youre not going to win many baseball games. It was the same game, kinda different circumstances, different innings that it happened in, but its no different than Game 2 or Game 3, but we just have one inning where we completely implode."

While every Invader who went to the plate except Mueller had at least one hit -- with Deeds 4-for-5 with three runs and 2 RBI -- the "Mueller /Lambe combination held Las Vegas to just seven hits.

"They did great, and that what we look for from our pitchers," Ebright said.

Gaylord said hes not surprised at the early-season Roswell success.

"Actually, weve got a pretty good group of guys," he said. "I think were pretty talented. Were starting to gel together, and honestly we havent even hit our stride yet. Weve got a good bunch of guys who come out and work hards every day and its paying off, so Im expecting great things out of our team."

Dill is trying to keep a good outlook despite the 0-4 start..

"Im staying positive, as this point, I look at this more or less as our spring training," he said. "Because I didnt have a baseball field to accurately assess these guys. We did our best with what we were provided. We had a bullpen and we had a batting cage, and I cant accurately assess how hitters hit live pitching and our pitchers face live hitting if we dont have those opportunities."

Dill said hell keep looking for a combination that works, and in the mean time, the two teams will wrap up the series Saturday a 7 p.m. in Roswell.

Another night, another Roswell come back

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

ROSWELL -- Another day, another come-from-behind victory by Roswell puts the Invaders on top of the league -- either division -- with a perfect 3-0 record after Thursdays 12-11 victory over winless Las Vegas.

"I tell you what," laughed Roswell coach Chris Ebright. "These kids, they dont know what theyre doing to us. Even the fans out there. Were making it exciting, which, some times, I wish we would just get ahead and not make it exciting. But, you know, again, our guys fought back, and we scored eight in the bottom of the eighth and these guys just dont quit."

The first five innings made it look as though it might be a low-scoring pitching duel between starters Ryan Richardson and Atsushi Nebisawa.

Richardson allowed one Train Robber run in the first on singles by Matt Grosso, , Randy Wells and Adam Kam, and one in the fourth when Wilson singled and advanced on a throw, sacrifice and put out.

Roswell tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Nate Theunissen, Andrew Deeds and Ryan Richardson all singled -- Richardson scoring Theunissen -- and Chad Cruse had an RBI sacrifice fly.

The fifth was scoreless on both sides, but the Robbers seemed to break it open in the sixth, scoring six runs off six hits -- starting with a home run by Randy Wells -- and two errors.

The Invaders added one in the bottom of the sixth and the score remained 8-3 after seven. But after Roswell reliever Ryan Rogers held Las Vegas scoreless in the top of the eighth, the Invaders had that big eight-run eighth, scoring off relievers Kevin Camacho, Joel Sanchez. MIchael Kershner and Ben Runyon.

An Erick Gaylord triple, Cruse single and Ryan Normoyle opened the inning, with two walks, an error, a hit batter, two wild pitches and two singles all combined to bring the Roswell runners home.

The only bad news was when Jordan Owen was hit, and hit hard. As he tried to bunt, Kershner threw high and tight, and the ball smacked the hitter in the face. He was taken to the hospital where it was discovered his jaw was broken in two places, and hes currently in Albuquerque, awaiting surgery, and is reported in good spirits.

That bit of bad news aside, the Invaders led 11-8 with only three outs to get.

But just as happened Wednesday, Roswell pitcher Jacob Cook couldnt hold Vegas, with the Train Robbers scoring three runs with two outs on a hit batter, error and single off Cook, then singles by Lauer and Michael Pena off Scott Elitzy.

The game was now tied 11-all.

And again, just as the day before, Las Vegas couldnt hang on, as Eddie Medina walked Roger Bernal and Vincent Meji, got Bernal out on a fielders choice but then gave up a single to the days hero, Theunissen, who singled to score the winning run.

"I hope we just keep it going," Ebright said of the hitting. "I think its just another one of those games where, in a way, we were lucky we were the last at bat. Were at home. But these kids make it exciting."

Las Vegas coach Casey Dill was understandably upset after giving away the third game in a row.

"Our bullpen has failed us miserably," he said. "Our bullpen has cost us two baseball games two nights in a row. Out bullpen isnt doing its job. Its that simple. Our bullpen has cost us two baseball games. Giving up a three-run lead and a five-run lead is not acceptable. I can control what I can control, and I can control who stays and who goes, and right now Im not going to sit back and watch us blow games every night. So theres guys who are fighting for their job every day, and there will be changes after this series."

Both starters pitched well -- Nebisawa more so, allowing only three runs, two earned, on eight hits while striking out six -- but both coaches had concern about their relievers.

"Just like them (Vegas), our relievers have got to do something different," Ebright said.

"Our hitting is going to give us a chance to win the baseball game every night," Dill said. "And as long as we can keep the errors to a minimum and we can throw strikes with a lead and get guys out with a lead late in the ballgame, were going to win a lot of baseball games. Right now, the last two baseball games have just been complete, absolute melt downs. And thats all it is. Guys are nervous. Theyre not ready to be here and like I said, were going to make some roster moves after this series. Its that simple."

Roswell also gave the fans several highlights in the field, throwing out Robber runners in both the first and second, then Gaylord making a throw from right field to start a double play.

"Weve just got to get more consistent defensively," Ebright said. "The first half of the game, we actually, I think, played very bad baseball. We didnt get runners in from scoring position with less than two outs. Some bad base running and I think we made some mistakes on key defensive plays. But overall, again, it was ugly but Ill take it. But weve got to get better.

Invaders get ugly comeback win over Train Robbers

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

ROSWELL -- Whether its the water or the aliens or just something at Joe Bauman Field, the Invaders have been heart-attack kids for as long as theyve been playing -- managing to pull out games at the last minute and giving the fans their moneys worth.

And they did it again Wednesday, topping Las Vegas 11-10 in a back-and-forth game that was won on a walk-off single by Roger Bernal -- who hit a grand slam Tuesday to secure that win.

"I think I just added two years onto my age here," laughed Roswell manager Chris Ebright. "But you know, the guys kept fighting. It seemed like every move we made, tip your hat to those guys (the Train Robbers). They hit. Theyre good. That team over there, Las Vegas, theyre good. But our guys kept battling. They had good at bats at the end, making the pitcher work and getting hit by a few pitches and finally Roger Bernal came through."

Las Vegas had the upper hand early, leading 1-0 on two singles and an error then going up 3-1 in the third on singles by Matt Grosso and Randy Wells, and a 2 RBI double by Chris Wilson.

But the Invaders used the long ball to go up 4-3 in the fourth -- Nate Theunissen brought in Vincent Mejia on a smash to right center, then singles by Andrew Deeds and Andrew Shoemaker and a passed ball gave Roswell the lead -- and 7-4 in the fifth.

After Grosso, Wells and Wilson hit back-to-back-to back triples to score one run in the top of the fifth, Bernal singled, Mejia walked and Charles Dubanoski hit it over the fence for a three-run home run.

But four Roswell relievers -- Shoemaker went four complete, then Eric Lambe, Will Scott, Scott Elitzky and A.J. Martin wrapped up the game -- couldnt hold the Las Vegas batters.

The Train Robbers scored two runs apiece in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings, taking the lead in the eighth when Will Walsh was hit, stole second and came in on a Gross single. Gross scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball, fielders choice and Ryan Laur single, then Vegas added two more runs in the ninth to go up 10-7.

The inning didnt start well, as former Invader Adam Kam struck out and was ejected for arguing the call, but Eddie Medina and Ricky Brown each singled and came in on a Wilson double. All Brandon Petrangelo, who came in to pitch in the bottom of the ninth, had to do was get three outs.

But Dubanoski doubled, Nate Theunissen walked, Deeds was hit to load the bases and pinch hitter Mike McCarthy was hit, scoring Dubanoski. Erick Gaylord made it 10-9 with a sacrifice fly, then, after Ryan Normoyle walked, Bernal hit the game winning single that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Martin got the win and Petrangelo the loss, with Las Vegas starter Greg Fowler giving up seven runs before relievers Ben Runyon, Michael Kershner and Medina shut the Invaders down for 2-2/3 innings.

While Ebright was once again happy with his teams offense, he wasnt as pleased with the pitching.

"Pitching was iffy," he said. "Were gonna have to do something about getting some outs a little bit easier. I guess well see."

But going 2-0 to open the season? That feels good.

"We all feel good," he said. "Baseballs a funny game. These guys again (Las Vegas), theyre feeling out some positions. Their pitchers too, and when it comes down to it, theyre going to be up there with the best teams."

The two teams meet again Thursday in the middle game of the five-game series with first pitch at 7 p.m.