Bradenton Marauders 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3
(box score)
The Marauders also posted a 4-run inning, and earned the win, despite being out-hit 10 – 7. Three pitchers threw 3 innings each for the Marauders, who had been expecting rehabbing Brad Lincoln to start for them, but had to scramble when Lincoln was sent up to Indianapolis at almost the last minute. Brett Lorin made the start and pitched 3 scoreless innings, scattering 3 hits and striking out one batter. Duke Welker took the next shift. He gave up one run in the 4th inning on a double, a wild pitch, and an RBI single, then ended the inning with a strikeout and a double play. A double play also helped him out in the 5th, and Welker worked around two singles in the 6th. Jason Erickson pitched the last three innings. After retiring the side in order in the 7th, Erickson gave up a run in each of the 8th and the 9th. A hit batter, a double, and a ground out scored the run in the 8th, and a fielding error by 2B Jarek Cunningham, two ground outs, and a double brought in the run in the 9th. Welker was credited with the win, and Erickson with the Save.
The Marauders had to be more efficient with their hits. RF Robbie Grossman began the bottom of the 1st with a walk, stole second base (his third steal of the season), and scored on CF Evan Chambers‘ double. Chambers was out at third when he tried to stretch it into a triple. DH Calvin Anderson gave the Marauders the lead for good in the bottom of the 4th with a solo home run. Then Bradenton sealed the deal with 4 runs in the 5th. Grossman led off with a double lined into center field. A ground out moved him to third. Chambers reached base on a throwing error by the Charlotte third baseman, though Grossman could not advance. Chris Snyder, still on rehab, was intentionally walked to load the bases. That brought up 1B Aaron Baker, who drove in Grossman and Chambers with a line drive double into right field. Anderson singled up the middle, and both Snyder and Baker raced around to score. LF Adalberto Santos also singled, but was out in the inning-ending double play.
West Virginia Power 9, Savannah Sand Gnats 1 (game 1)
(box score)
Seven runs in the 4th inning gave the Power plenty of power for the win in the first game of the double header (both games were scheduled for 7 innings). The Power started with a run in the bottom of the 1st. SS Drew Maggi reached base on a throwing error, then moved to second base on a ground out. He stole third base, and came in on 1B Matt Curry’s RBI single.
A pair of doubles by Savannah tied the score in the top of the 2nd inning. Things were quiet for a few innings, then the Power exploded in the bottom of the 4th, as they sent 11 batters to the plate. Curry led off with a walk. 3B Eric Avila tapped back to the mound, but the Savannah pitcher threw wild to first. Avila was credited with a hit, and the error put Curry on third and Avila on second. Curry scored (1) on a wild pitch, and Avila scored (2) on C Elias Diaz’s double. RF Dan Grovatt singled, plating Diaz (3). LF Andy Vasquez singled, moving Grovatt to third, and he scored on a wild pitch (4). 2B Gift Ngoepe doubled, scoring Vasquez (5), and after Maggi was hit by a pitch and CF Mel Rojas grounded out, Curry doubled in both Ngoepe and Rojas (6 and 7). Curry homered in the 6th inning, just for good measure.
The Power pitchers allowed 8 hits but held the Sand Gnats to just 1 run. That run came in the 2nd inning on back-to-back doubles, and was complicated by a leg injury to starting left fielder Rogelios Noris on the second double. Tyler Waldron earned the win with his 5 innings of work. Besides those two doubles, he scattered only 3 more hits, while striking out 4 batters. Zach Fuesser pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief. He gave up 3 singles in the 6th, but erased one with a double play, and left the other two base runners stranded.
Power 2, Sand Gnats 0 (game 2)
(box score)
The second game was a pitching duel that was done in just 1 hour and 18 minutes. The Power’s Zack Dodson and Ryan Beckman combined to pitch 7 shutout innings. Dodson went 5 innings and retired the first 10 Savannah batters in order. He gave up a walk and a single in the 4th, but left them both on base. He also allowed another single in the 5th, and struck out one in his first win of the season. Beckman pitched two perfect innings, also struck out one, and earned the save.
The Sand Gnats’ starter, Yohan Almonte, pitched all 6 innings, an allowed just 4 hits. He retired the first 9 batters he faced, then walked Drew Maggi to begin the 4th. Maggi was erased with a double play. Eric Avila and Dan Grovatt began the 5th with back-to-back singles, and a balk moved them both up one base. A wild pitch allowed Avila to score, then 3B Kevin Mort singled, scoring Grovatt. That was all the scoring the Power needed to zip to the win. Mel Rojas had the fourth Power hit.
