Savannah Sand Gnats 4, �West Virginia Power 0 (box)
While the Curve were winning #3, the Power were losing #3. �The Power managed one more hit than last night, but that meant that they had just 4 hits. �Once again 2B Jarek Cunningham and DH David Rubinstein were the only Power batters to have a hit, and tonight they had two each (last night Cunningham had two and Rubinstein had one). �Cunningham doubled in the 1st inning and led off the 4th inning with a single. �Again like last night, CF Evan Chambers followed Cunningham’s hit with a walk, but Cunningham was picked off base and Chambers was forced out with a grounder. �Rubinstein singled to lead off the 3rd inning with a single, but was erased in a double play. �He doubled in the 5th inning and was left on base. �Cunningham also walked in the 6th inning, and he was the last Power base runner of the game. �The Power had 5 strikeouts over the last 3 innings of the game.
Kyle McPherson allowed Savannah only a lone single over the first three innings. �He gave up 3 runs in the 4th inning, though only one was earned. �He began the inning with a strikeout, then gave up a double, then got a second strikeout. �The next batter grounded to second, but Cunningham made a fielding error that allowing the runner from second to score, though the batter was also credited with a hit. �After another single put runners on the corners, the second fielding error of the inning, by SS Benji Gonzalez, allowed a second run to score. �An RBI single made the score 3-0. �McPherson retired the side in order in the 5th, and that was the end of his night. �He was charged with the loss, allowing 5 hits, no walks, and 3 strikeouts. �Melkin Laureano and�Jason Erickson both made their 2010 debuts, each with a scoreless inning. �Marc Baca pitched the bottom of the 8th for the Power and gave up a triple and an RBI single for Savannah’s 4th run of the game.
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Bradenton Marauders 4, �Fort Myers Miracle 3 (box)
The Marauders won their third game of the season with two late-inning rallies to get past the Miracle. �Fort Myers had the early lead, when they got to starter Aaron Pribanic in the bottom of the 1st. �A walk, a fielding error by 3B Jeremy Farrell. Three consecutive singles first loaded the bases, then brought in two runs and one run respectively. �After a ground out and another walk, the bases were loaded again, but Pribanic got out of the inning with a strikeout. �Pribanic allowed a lone single in each of the next three innings, but did not let another run come in. �He pitched 4 innings, and allowed those 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks, with 2 strikeouts.
The Bradenton bullpen shut down the Miracle after the 1st inning. �Joel Hanrahan, in his second rehab appearance, pitched another scoreless inning, retiring the side in order in the 5th. �Tyler Cox faced only one batter over the minimum in his two innings of work — a hit batter. He earned the win.�Casey Erickson came on for the 8th inning and loaded the bases on two walks and a single, but ended the inning with a fly out that left all three runners stranded. �Noah Krol picked up his second save of the season with a scoreless 9th inning. �He allowed a walk and a single, but got out of the jam leaving the tying run standing on third base.
3B Jeremy Farrell again led the Marauders at the plate, as both he and RF Robbie Grossman recorded 2 hits. �Grossman singled and stole second base in the 1st inning but was left on base. �The bats were quiet over the next 5innings, with the exception of 1B Calvin Anderson, who singled in the 5th — but was out in a subsequent double play. �Finally, in the 7th inning, Grossman and CF Starling Marte led off with back-to-back walks. �A grounder by C Tony Sanchez forced Marte out at second but left runners on the corners. �Anderson walked to load the bases with 2 outs. �Then Farrell worked his magic, with a line drive into center field for a 2-run single, as Grossman and Sanchez scored.
The Marauders got right back at it in the 8th. �With one out, SS Greg Picart beat out an infield single, then went to third on Grossman’s double. �Starling Marte cleared the bases with a triple, giving Bradenton a 4-3 lead. �The rally was squelched when Sanchez bounced to short, and a 6-2-5 fielder’s choice play caught Marte by surprise, and he was out trying to score. �Sanchez went to second on the play, but a pop out ended the inning.
South African prospect Gift Ngoepe, in his A+ level debut, came in as a defensive replacement at second base in the bottom of the 8th inning. �The first batter of the inning hit a grounder right to Ngoepe, which he fielded cleanly for the first out. �Ngoepe hit the third of three consecutive singles (Farrell and DH Eric Fryer had the other two)�with one out in Bradenton’s half of the 9th. �He was out at second on a force play to end the inning, though.
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