Cody Puckett's Seventh Inning Homer Lifts Bats to 4-2 Win
June 19, 2012 - International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees News Release
Louisville, KY - SWB Yankees starter Adam Warren (LP, 4-5) took a 2-1 lead to the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday night at Louisville and was in position to pick up his fifth win of the season. A one seventh inning double by Bill Rhinehart set the stage for Cody Puckett's first homer of the season, a two run shot that turned a 2-1 Yankees lead into a 3-2 advantage for Louisville. The Bats would add an additional run in the eighth inning to win the game by a 4-2 final.
For the second consecutive night the Yankees got on the board in the top of the first inning picking up a run off Louisville starter Ryan Feierabend. With one down, Ronnier Mustelier gapped a double to right center scoring Corban Joseph who had reached on an infield single that rolled up the line at third before dying in front of the third base bag. Mustelier's 25th RBI of the season gave the Yankees the 1-0 lead.
Louisville answered in the bottom of the first inning with a run off Yankees starter Adam Warren to tie the game at 1-1. Joey Gathright singled off Doug Bernier's glove at third base to reach with a leadoff hit. With a 3-2 count on number two hitter Paul Janish, Gathright headed for second base to stay out of a potential double play. The strategy worked for the Bats as Gathright was safe at second base on what would have been a tailor made 6-4-3 double play on Janish's grounder to shortstop. With one out and a runner at second as opposed to two outs and a runner at first, Mike Costanzo tied the game up with a base hit to left off Warren.
The Yankees recaptured the lead in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly from Jack Cust that scored Kevin Russo to break the 1-1 tie. Russo led off the inning with a single to centerfield off Feierabend. A wild pitch moved Russo to second base and Joseph's ground out to first base moved Russo to third before he scored on the sac fly to left field to give SWB a 2-1 lead.
Warren kept the Bats at bay for the second through sixth innings not allowing a run and not allowing a Louisville runner past second base. In the home half of the seventh inning Bill Rhinehart doubled inside the bag at first base with one out and was in scoring position for Puckett. Puckett hit the first pitch from Warren into the seats beyond the left field wall and Louisville had its first lead of the night at 3-2.
Warren would finish the seventh inning before yielding to Juan Cedeno coming in out of the Yankees pen to pitch the eighth. Warren threw 109 pitches over his 7.0 innings allowing seven hits and three runs, all earned, with two walks and five strikeouts. The Bats extended the lead to 4-2 over the Yankees with a solo homer from Dioner Navarro off Cedeno in the bottom of the eighth.
Jordan Smith (SV, 7) shut down the Yankees in the ninth inning preserving the win for Donnie Joseph who picked up his first Triple-A win. Joseph also got his first Triple-A save against the Yankees earlier in the season. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre drops to 40-32 on the season and falls to 2-4 in 2012 against Louisville, who has the worst mark in the league at 24-49.
The Yankees and Bats play game three of the four game series on Wednesday morning with an 11:45 AM first pitch from Louisville Slugger Field. Right hander Dellin Betances (3-5, 5.91) gets the start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with Louisville countering with right hander Chad Reineke (2-5, 4.14).
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