By Rick Mariotti
Minor Leagues Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online
Grand Junction, Colo. – The Grand Junction Gold Sox cooled down from their scorching pace the previous week, but still gained a bit of ground in Week 9 as they went 4-3.
They opened the week by splitting a pair of games with the Pahrump Ranchers (Las Vegas) at home. Because the Sox won the series opener last week, the split gave them a win for the 3-game set, however.
Grand Junction then traveled to Boulder, where they took 2 of 3 games from the Crush (Madison). The Sox ended the week at home, splitting the first 2 of a 3 game series with the Council Bluffs Express(Mexico City).
That last game against the Express was a dramatic affair, won by the Sox with a pair of solo home runs in the bottom of the 9th. Second baseman Jeffrey Cote tied the game with a 1-out line drive homer to deep right field. Then, with 2 down, DH Paul Kemp won the game with a booming home run to right that traveled an estimated 369 feet.
Ninth Week Scores
At Grand Junction
05/26: Pahrump 2, Grand Junction 0
05/27: Grand Junction 10, Pahrump 6
At Boulder
05/28: Grand Junction 4, Boulder 3
05/29: Boulder 13, Grand Junction 10
05/30: Grand Junction 4, Boulder 3
At Grand Junction
05/31: Council Bluffs 6, Grand Junction 5
06/01: Grand Junction 8, Council Bluffs 7
Record As Of June 1
W-L Record for Week 9: 4-3
Overall Record: 36-22, .621
Position in Standings: In 1st Place in the PL West Central Division, 2 games ahead of Aspen.
Position Players of Interest
| Player | Slash Line | OPS | HR | RBI | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Kemp, LF/DH/SP | .306/.340/.522 | .863 | 6 | 17 | 0.7 |
| Robby Clements, 1B/OF | .256/.275/.422 | .697 | 7 | 28 | -0.7 |
| Danny Bennett, LF * | .373/.412/.654 | 1.066 | 9 | 26 | 1.7 |
| Shannon Morrison, SS | .211/.259/.384 | .643 | 5 | 24 | 0.5 |
| Pitcher | ERA | W-L-SV | IP | K's | BB's | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romeu Tameiro, SP | 4.45 | 3-5 | 87.0 | 51 | 20 | 1.8 |
| Paul Kemp, SP/OF/DH | 3.21 | 7-2 | 61.2 | 43 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Orlando Barries, CL | 4.30 | 4-3-12 | 23.0 | 18 | 6 | -0.1 |