West Virginia pitcher Ryan Hafner is still searching for his first win of the season after registering a no decision in the Power’s eight-inning 7-5 loss to Lakewood on Sunday. Storms hit the Charleston area hard, sending the Power and the BlueClaws scurrying to the clubhouse before the ninth inning could be played.
Hafner (0-6, 7.11 ERA) was lucky to not get saddled with his seventh loss of the season after giving up a mammoth grand slam to Lakewood’s Chris Duffy in the fifth inning. The West Virginia offense bailed him out in the bottom half of the inning by scoring four runs to tie the game at 5-5. Mike Jefferson (2-6, 5.95 ERA), who replaced Hafner, suffered the loss instead after allowing two runs to score in the seventh.
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Gregory Polanco kept up his hitting ways Sunday. The West Virginia center fielder cranked his 12th home run of the season in the fourth inning to tie the game 1-1. Polanco finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk in the Power’s four-run fifth inning.
Alen Hanson also played a part in the big West Virginia fifth inning with a hit and a run scored. He finished 1-for-4 on the day with a strikeout. Willy Garcia (2-for-4, RBI) and Francisco Aponte (2-for-3, double, run scored) were the only Power players other than Polanco with multiple hits on Sunday.
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West Virginia went 3-2 during this home stand, all against Lakewood. The Power now hit the road for four at Rome and four at Augusta before returning home July 19 for a series with Delmarva.
Sunday’s loss dropped the team to 9-9 in the South Atlantic League’s second half. West Virginia currently sits in fifth place, four game back in the SAL Northern Divison behind Hickory, Hagerstown, Lakewood and Kannapolis.
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Just to give you an idea of what kind of storm hit Appalachian Power Park on Sunday, here are some photos taken from the press box after the game had been called.
Yes, those guys (members of the West Virginia grounds crew) are carrying a kayak.
