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Ely Excellent in Delivering 'Topes a 3-2 Win

May 11, 2012 - Pacific Coast League (PCL) Albuquerque Isotopes

Starting pitcher John Ely was outstanding, authoring 7.0 superb innings to send the Albuquerque Isotopes (22-13) to a thrilling 3-2 win over the Tacoma Rainiers (11-23) Thursday night at Cheney Stadium. The red-hot "˜Topes have now won four straight and seven of their last eight, maintaining a 2.5 game lead in the Pacific Coast League's American Southern Division.

Ely (3-2) was in control throughout the contest, allowing just two earned runs on a mere four hits in 7.0 innings to earn his third win of the year. The right-hander also piled up a career-high 11 strikeouts, shattering his old mark of nine set way back in 2008 when he was a member of Single-A Winston-Salem, while walking just three.

Albuquerque grabbed its starter a lead in the top of the third when Josh Bard and Matt Angle led off the frame with back-to-back walks. Two batters later, Ivan De Jesus Jr. smashed a double off the wall in right field, plating both runners and giving the Isotopes a quick 2-0 edge.

Tacoma would answer in the bottom of the frame, however, in a rally that also started with a lead-off walk. After Luis Rodriguez earned a free pass, Johan Limonta singled and Brandon Bantz moved both runners into scoring position with a perfect sacrifice bunt. With the tying run on second, former "˜Tope Trayvon Robinson tapped a grounder to third base that was mishandled by Elian Herrea, allowing Rodriguez to score and trim the Albuquerque lead to 2-1. Despite the miscue, Herrera had another excellent night, collecting two singles to increase his team-leading hitting streak to 15 games.

The "˜Topes would tack on a crucial insurance run in the sixth, when Luis Cruz hammered a two-out double to left and promptly scored on an RBI single by Bard to extend the visitor's advantage to 3-1. The two-out uprising came on the heels of some action of a different sort, as slugger Jerry Sands and hitting coach John Valentin were ejected from the contest by home plate umpire Barry Larson for arguing balls and strikes immediately before Cruz's big hit.

The Rainiers tried to mount one last rally, scoring a run in the seventh on an RBI double by Limonta to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Albuquerque bullpen would deny any further scoring. Shane Lindsay and Wil Ledezma picked up Ely with a scoreless inning apiece to earn a hold and a save, respectively. Ledezma's (1) save was his first of the season and the left-hander's first since June of last year when he was member of the Las Vegas 51s.

Albuquerque will wrap up its four game series looking for a sweep of the Rainiers on Friday night with lefty Michael Antonini (1-0, 4.50) getting the ball for the "˜Topes against Tacoma lefty Andrew Carraway (No Record), who will be making his Triple-A debut. First pitch from Cheney Stadium is 8:05 PM MT.

The Isotopes continue an eight-game road trip tomorrow against the Tacoma Rainiers, Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, followed by a series against the Salt Lake Bees, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The team will return home on May 17 for a 12-game homestand, the longest such stretch of the 2012 season that includes the Celebrity Softball Game, Bark in the Park, fireworks and a bobblehead giveaway. Tickets for any Isotopes game may be purchased at the Isotopes Park Box Office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, or on-line at www.abqisotopes.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 11, 2012


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