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Midland RockHounds

A Forty-Three Percent Chance of Whiffs

April 19, 2015 - Texas League (TL1)
Midland RockHounds News Release


RockHounds starting pitcher Jake Sanchez struck out eight and allowed just four hits, but allowed five runs in his 5.2 innings of work in Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Arvest Park in Springdale. (Frank Longobardo / Midland RockHounds)

Going into the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday night at Arvest Ballpark, the RockHounds and Northwest Arkansas had combined to score one run on two hits, one of those a bunt single. The Naturals then busted loose, batting around to score four runs on four hits, and went on to defeat the RockHounds, 5-0.

With the exception of the Northwest Arkansas sixth, the game was completely dominated by pitching and defense. Of the game's 51 outs (the Naturals did not bat in the ninth), 22 came via strikeout (43-percent). Exactly half of the Naturals' 24 outs came on whiffs.

The RockHounds threatened on the game's first pitch, when Bobby Crocker doubled down the right field line off Naturals starter Brandon Finnegan. The former TCU star, who last year became the first player in history to appear in the College World Series and the World Series in the same year, walked Colin Walsh to put two men on with no outs. Former RockHound Dusty Coleman then turned Chad Pinder's ground ball up the middle into a 6-3 double play, and Finnegan struck out Matt Olson to end the inning.

The Naturals produced the game's first run after Coleman walked to lead off the third. He moved to second on a ground out and to third on a bunt single from Terrence Gore. Lane Adams then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Coleman.

Through his first five innings, 'Hounds starter Jake Sanchez allowed only the Gore bunt single and the walk to Coleman, while striking out eight. Gore and Adams singled back-to-back leading off the sixth to trigger the four-run rally, and Coleman capped the scoring with a two-run single off reliever Tucker Healy.

Finnegan pitched the first four innings and Andy Ferguson went the last five for the win, with the pair combining on a four-hit shutout.

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