Greensboro Grasshoppers 7, �West Virginia Power 2 (box)
A four-run 9th inning sealed the Power’s fate on Wednesday night in Charleston, West Virginia. �1B Aaron Baker posted 3 hits for the Power.
Starter Hunter Strickland made the start for the Power, and he pitched 7 innings, his longest outing of the season. �He gave up 3 runs on just 5 hits and suffered the hard-luck loss. �Strickland had just one bad inning — in the top of the 3rd, he hit the first batter with a pitch, then got the next batter to bounce into an around-the-horn double play. �The next two batters singled, and then Greensboro C Kyle Skipworth lifted a 3-run homer to right center field. �Strickland gave up a single and hit another batter in the 1st inning. �After the home run, he retired 11 Greensboro batters in order, before giving up another lone single in the 7th inning.
The Power managed just one hit, by DH Jose Hernandez, over the first three innings. �Their only runs came in the 4th, when Baker singled with one out, and LF Rogelios Noris followed with a triple into right field, scoring Baker. �3B Jesus Brito brought Noris in with an RBI single. �Baker singled again in the 6th and in the 8th, but was left on base both times. �The Power also ran themselves out of two potential rallies when two base runners were caught stealing (RF David Rubinsteinin the 1st and Evan Chambers in the 5th). �The Power didn’t have a runner get as far as third base any other time in the game besides the 4th inning.
Ryan Kelly relieved Strickland for the final two innings, and he got into trouble in the top of the 9th. �With one out, Kelly gave up a double and an RBI single. �A throwing error by Kelly allowed another run to score, and a 2-run homer capped off the scoring. �The only earned run of those four runs was that of the batter who hit the homer.
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The Indianapolis Indians had a scheduled day off on Wednesday.
The Bradenton Marauders played earlier in the day, and Bryan Morris pitched 6 no-hit innings.
