Charleston RiverDogs 7, West Virginia Power 6
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The Power posted 16 hits, but still fell one run short against Charleston. All but one members of the Power line-up had at least one hit, with RF Dan Grovatt and CF Mel Rojas led the way with 3 hits each. DH Jairo Marquez did not record a hit, but he walked and scored a run.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 4th inning. The Power scattered 5 hits and 2 walks over those innings, but could not push a runner across the plate. Power starter Zack Von Rosenberg allowed a lead-off single in the first, then retired the next 9 batters in order, including 3 strikeouts.
Charleston got going in the bottom of the 5th, attacking Von Rosenberg with two singles (plus a balk by Von Rosenberg), for one run. After a walk, the RiverDogs hit back-to-back homers, one for 3 runs, and a solo blast. That gave Charleston a 5-0 lead.
The Power immediately began to chip away at the 5-run lead. The cut it to a 3-run lead with 2 runs in the 5th. 3B Eric Avila led off with a single, and he scored on SS Drew Maggi’s triple. 2B Kevin Mort brought in Maggi with an RBI ground out. In the next inning, Rojas led off with a single, then advanced to second on a throwing error. C Kawika Emsley-Pai hit another triple, plating Rojas, and LF Andy Vasquez brought in Emsley-Pai with an RBI single.
Charleston added a run in the bottom of the 6th. Casey Sadler relieved Von Rosenberg, and gave up a run on an unusual play. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out, and the next batter lifted a fly ball to right field. That was a sacrifice fly, and the runner from third scored, but RF Grovatt fired the ball in to Avila at third, who then threw on to 1B Justin Howard, who doubled off the batter who had been on first. RiverDogs 6, Power 4.
The Power came right back with a run in the top of the 7th. Grovatt lined a double into righrt field, and scored on Howard’s grounder to left field. Howard made the turn at first, but got caught in the middle of nowhere on the throw back to the infield. He was out in a 7-4-3-6 run-down. Rojas and Emsley-Pai both singled, but a double play ended the inning. The Power had again come within one run of the RiverDogs, but again the RiverDogs took another step forward. A single, a stolen base, a throwing error by Emsley-Pai on the stolen base, and an RBI double gave Charleston another run in the bottom of the 7th, for a 7-5 lead.
A walk by Marquez, a ground out by Maggi, and an RBI single by Mort let Marquez score in the top of the 8th, to bring the Power again within one run, 7-6. Sadler retired the RiverDogs in order in the bottom of the 8th, giving the Power one more chance to catch up. Grovatt led off the top of the 9th with a double into center field. Howard walked, and Rojas’ sacrifice bunt moved the tying and the go-ahead run into scoring position. But two pop outs ended the game, without the Power able to bring in the tying run.
Tampa Yankees 6, Bradenton Marauders 4
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C Ramon Cabrera went 3-for-4 for the Marauders, raising his batting average to .441, but it was not enough to overcome a 5-run 6th inning by the Yankees.
Phillip Irwin made the start for the Marauders and pitched 5 innings, allowing one run on 2 hits and 2 walks, with 3 strikeouts. The run came in the 2nd inning, on a walk, a stolen base, a ground out, and an RBI single. Irwin gave up a walk and a single in the 5th, but got out of the inning with a ground out and a strikeout.
Jarek Cunningham singled in the 1st inning, and Cabrera doubled into left field in the 2nd, but both were left on base. The Marauders tied the score in the top of the 3rd. RF Robbie Grossman began the rally with a single, and Cunningham reached on a throwing error, moving Grossman to third. Grossman scored on an RBI ground out by CF Evan Chambers. The Marauders took the lead in the top of the 4th, sending 8 batters to the plate. Cabrera led off with a single, and a passed ball put him on second base. 3B Elevys Gonzalez tripled, scoring Cabrera, then LF Adalberto Santos brought in Cabrera with a single. Grossman singled, moving Santos to third, and Grossman stole second base. Cunningham walked to load the bases, then a passed ball let Santos score with the third run of the inning.
Irwin left the game after his 5 innings with a 4-1 lead, but Diego Moreno got into trouble when he entered the game in the bottom of the 6th. Ten Yankees came to the plate, scoring 5 runs. A walk, a wild pitch, and a hit batter put two runners on, and both scored on a double. A second double added the third run of the inning. A walk put runners on the corners, and the two pulled off a double steal, scoring another run. A throwing error by SS Benji Gonzalez put the second runner on third base, and a fielding error by Elevys Gonzalez let that runner score. That was the end for Moreno. Porfirio Lopez relieved him, and gave up a single, but then got two outs to end the inning. Tampa had taken the 6-4 lead.
The Marauders put a runner on base in each of the last three innings, but none of them could score. Grossman reached base on a fielding error in the 7th, stole second, and moved up to third on a throwing error, but got no further. Cabrera doubled for the second time to lead off the 8th, but got no further than third base. Benji Gonzalez singled in the 9th, and was erased in a double play.
Lopez gave up a walk and a single in the bottom of the 7th, but got out of that inning with a timely double play. He got another double play in the 8th, after walking a batter.
