The Idaho Falls Braves had won nine in a row and 13 of their last 14 games to bring themselves into a first-place tie with the Salt Lake Trappers going into Saturday's game at Derks Field.
"We were due," shrugged Braves' Manager Steve Curry of the 14-4 drubbing laid on his weary club by the Trappers.The two Southern Division frontrunners play again this afternoon at 1:30 in Derks, then turn around and go to Idaho Falls for two more as the Pioneer League season enters its final few days.
"I hope we got it all out in one game. We did about everything wrong we could do in a game," said Curry, still smiling and saying he'd rather lose like that in a critical encounter. "It would have been harder to lose 3-2," he said.
"We win tomorrow (Sunday), we're still in first place," Curry said hopefully, knowing his pitching ace Scott Ryder, the league leader in wins with nine, will oppose Trapper No. 1 Willie Ambos, second in league earned-run average at 2.63.
Being high up in the league standings, though, didn't do Brave starter Brian Dare much good Saturday. He was No. 5 with a 3.10 ERA, but the Traps got to him for seven hits and six runs, five earned, in four innings.
"It's the first time this year we have been able to get to Dare early," said Trapper Manager Nick Belmonte. "He usually holds until until the middle innings."
Belmonte said he couldn't explain why Trapper bats were worth 17 hits, five for extra bases, against a first-place club. The Trappers were rained out of their last two games but managed to get in batting practice both nights in Butte, and they held a long batting practice Saturday. Belmonte said it was only speculation as to whether that helped.
Also speculation was how much Idaho Falls' fatigue factor was worth. After playing a doubleheader Friday, the Braves bused in, but their bus broke down north of Ogden, and they didn't reach Salt Lake City until 7:45 a.m.
Trapper Kevin McMullan said it could have been a factor. McMullan, the league co-leader in runs batted in, added two RBI and now has 52. He started off the game with consecutive doubles and was 3 for 4. He scored each time he reached base.
"That's not why we lost," said Curry about the bus breakdown. "It was just one of those nights where everything went wrong."
Trapper Mike Moberg also had three hits, all singles.
The RBI king for the night was Salt Lake shortstop John Urcioli with four, even though he only had one hit, a two-run single. He drove in another with a sacrifice fly and one with a walk in the ninth.
The Trappers opened the first inning with three runs, one of McMullan's double, one on Rob Bargas' single and one on an error in left field that allowed McMullan to continue home on Bargas' hit.
Ken Whitworth kept the Braves still until the fifth, when Loren Gress singled and Geoff Orr homered. The Braves got their other two in the sixth on a double and three straight singles against Whitworth, who stayed around and got the Braves out in the seventh.
Salt Lake had pretty much put the game away by the time the Braves got their second two. The Trappers got one in the third and six in the fifth, a Jim Martin double and Tom Duffin triple leading the way. They added three in the seventh and one in the eighth.
The Trappers, 38-25, now lead the division by a game over Idaho Falls (37-26) and by two over Butte (34-25). Salt Lake has five games left, including today's.
Every game is extra important now because, by ruling of league president Ralph Nelles, the winner of the tight Pioneer League South Division will be determined by percentage because some teams may not play as many games as others, especially since all other games including two doubleheaders were rained out Saturday night.
One rainout, Idaho Falls at Butte from about a month ago, will be made up, and an Idaho Falls vs. Billings suspended game will be completed Thursday morning in Helena, but the two rained-out Trapper games from this week in Butte will not be made up. This probably hurts Butte the most since the Copper Kings lose some home games and, with three fewer wins, they have less chance to make up the distance in the win column.
TRAPPER NOTES - Outfielder Brian Reimsnyder left the team to return to school. Second baseman Jim Doyle was considering doing the same.