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Midland RockHounds

O'Dowd Pulls Drillers Even in TLCS

September 11, 2014 - Texas League (TL1)
Midland RockHounds News Release


The 2014 Texas League championship will be decided this weekend at Security Bank Ballpark ... and it's down to a best-of-three series.

The Tulsa Drillers scored three runs in the second inning, breaking a 1-1 tie, and made that margin stand up the rest of the way in a 5-2 victory in Game 2 of the Texas League Championship Series Wednesday night at ONEOK Field.

Chris O'Dowd, son of Colorado Rockies General Manager Dan O'Dowd, drove in three runs (including two in the pivotal second inning) to lead the offense, and four relievers combined to pitch six innings of shutout ball in the win.

Texas League Pitcher of the Year Tyler Anderson started for the Drillers, but was lifted after just three innings. Both of the RockHounds runs came off the lefty, who finished the regular season with a league-best 1.98 earned run average. Max Muncy's high drive over the right field wall tied the game at 1-1 in the second and Daniel Robertson's line drive to left brought the 'Hounds to within 4-2 in the third.

Richard Castillo went the middle three innings for the win, with Ken Roberts (hold), Nelson Gonzalez (hold) and Kraig Sitton (save) each going one inning the rest of the way. They allowed a combined three hits and two walks while striking out six.

WP: Richard Castillo (1-0, 0.00)

LP: Chris Jensen (0-1, 5.23)

SV: Kraig Sitton (1, 0.00)

HR: RockHounds - Max Muncy (2nd of the playoffs ... 9th overall) Solo in the second (off Tyler Anderson)

RockHounds - Daniel Robertson (1st of the playoffs ... 1st overall) Solo in the third (off Tyler Anderson)

Kibbles & Bits

- Chris Jensen's final start of the season was not a "fitting" end to an outstanding season, one in which the right-hander went 12-8, with a 3.14 ERA (sixth in the TL), earning the RockHounds' only spot on the Texas League Postseason All-Star Team. Chris gave up five runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings, walking two and striking out two.

- Both bullpens were virtually perfect. While the Drillers' four relievers pitched six shutout innings, Murphy Smith (2.0), Ryan Dull (1.2) and Frank Gailey (0.1) combined to pitch four innings of no-run, no-hit ball, with Smith walking two and striking out three.

- Max Muncy entered the Texas League Championship Series just 1-for-16 (solo home run) at the plate, but is now 3-for-8 with a home run and a walk in the championship series (two of his "non-hits" were errors on solid contact).

- Texas League Championship Series Historical Notes: While the RockHounds (Angels or Cubs) have never faced Tulsa in a playoff series, the two franchises have met before ... in 1975, the Cubs and Lafayette (LA) Drillers were declared Texas League co-champions when the fifth (and deciding) game could not be played within the allotted time limits due to rain (in Lafayette) ... in 1977, the Lafayette franchise was moved to Tulsa, where it has remained ever since ... in four of the first five TLCS appearances, the Cubs ('75), Angels ('95) and RockHounds '05 and '09) opened at home, meaning the series finished on the road ... both of the franchise's outright titles ('05 and '09) were won on the road ... Northwest Arkansas captured the 2010 TL crown at (then) Citibank Ballpark.

- The Game 3 match-up (see below) features two pitchers who have, between them, made nearly 200 appearances in a RockHounds uniform. They have also won a combined 51 games for the 'Hounds. Carlos Hernandez is the franchise's all-time leader in wins (32) and strikeouts (315) and pitched in 93 games with the RockHounds (2009-13) before signing with the Colorado Rockies as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. His 2.18 ERA in 2013 ranks second all-time in franchise history. Shawn Haviland has made 83 starts as a member of the 'Hounds, with 19 wins. He pitched for the club in 2011 and 2012 before missing all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

- Friday: Game 3 of the series will be "Thirsty Friday," with half-price beverages.

- Saturday: The first 400 fans receive a free RockHounds Playoff T-shirt.

- Sunday: First pitch for Game 5 (if necessary) at Security Bank Ballpark has been moved up to 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon.

Texas League Championship Series Schedule & Probable Starters

Game 3 Friday, Sept. 11 - 7:00 p.m. - Security Bank Ballpark: LHP Carlos Hernandez (1-0, 0.00) vs RHP Shawn Haviland (0-0, 6.75)

Game 4 * Saturday, Sept. 12 - 7:00 p.m. - Security Bank Ballpark: LHP Jayson Aquino (0-0, 4.50) vs RHP Deryk Hooker (1-0, 3.38)

Game 5 * Sunday, Sept. 13 - 4:00 p.m. - Security Bank Ballpark: RHP Richard Castillo (1st start) vs RHP Nate Long (1-1, 1.50)

Radio & Online (www.midlandrockhounds.org)

Friday - Classic Rock 102 (KFZX, 102.1-FM)

Saturday - NewsTalk KCRS

Sunday - Classic Rock 102 (KFZX, 102.1-FM)

Check out the Midland RockHounds Statistics

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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