Ventura’s Myers Hits Final Note

Call it an act of self-preservation.

Greg Myers has caught 30 of 31 games this season for the Ventura County Gulls, including all 14 innings of Sunday’s doubleheader against Modesto. He’s a strong guy who enjoys a reputation for resiliency, but Myers wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of extra innings in the second game.

So he did something about it. The left-handed Myers drove a slider over the right-field fence to lead off the seventh inning, giving the Gulls a 9-8 win at Ventura College. Ventura won the opener, 4-1, behind the two-hit pitching of David Wells and William Shanks.

Myers’ knees no doubt were rejoicing over the home run right along with the home crowd of 690.

“I get a little tired by the end of doubleheaders,” Myers said. “I didn’t want extra innings.”

Myers and the rest of the Gulls had extra incentive to hit well. John Mayberry, the minor league hitting instructor for the Toronto Blue Jays, was in the Ventura dugout. Toronto is the Gulls’ parent club.

“Everybody wanted to show him what we’ve got,” Myers said. “His presence pumped us up.”

Mayberry, who hit 255 home runs while playing for four major league teams, will spend a week with the Gulls before moving on to another Toronto farm team.

“I make sure the players are working on something and not just walking to the plate and taking their swings,” Mayberry said. “Most guys on this team are big league prospects. They can get to the majors by hitting well.”

The Gulls (17-14) pounded out 22 hits, including 5 doubles, a triple and 2 home runs. Geronimo Berroa hit a line-drive, solo homer to tie the second game, 8-8, in the fifth inning.

Six hits produced five Ventura runs in the third inning of the second game. Consecutive hits by Santiago Garcia, Eric Yelding, Sandy Guerrero and Rob Ducey accounted for two runs. Following a force out and a walk by Luis Reyna, Myers bounced a two-run single to right field. A double by Ken Kinnard drove in the final run of the inning.

Modesto (19-10), which had been held to four hits over the first 11 innings, exploded for 6 runs on 7 hits in the fifth inning of the second game to take an 8-6 lead. The A’s had doubles in the inning from Joe Xavier, Rich Martig, Joe Kramer and John Kanter.

Tom Wasilewski (2-2) replaced Gulls starter Hugh Brinson midway through the fifth inning and gained the win by facing only six batters in the sixth and seventh innings.

Wells (1-1), who was making his first start for the Gulls after arriving from Florence, S. C., two weeks ago, was overpowering for five innings in the first game. The left-hander retired the first 12 batters, struck out 7 and allowed 1 hit--an opposite-field double to Tyler Brilinski.

Gulls Manager Glenn Ezell replaced Wells after five innings because the Toronto front office has stipulated that he throw no more than 70 pitches. Wells, 22, missed the entire 1985 season following an elbow operation.

“I think I’m 100%,” Wells said.