LumberKings Drop Double Header at Beloit, Swept by Snappers
April 26, 2015 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Clinton LumberKings News Release
Beloit, WI - A pair of tough losses wrapped up a six game road trip for the Clinton LumberKings (7-11), as the Beloit Snappers (8-10) came from behind in each half of Sunday's double header. Clinton held leads in the sixth inning of each game, but late rallies by Beloit led to a series sweep for the Snappers.
The scheduled seven innings were not enough in the first half of Sunday's pair of games. Ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the LumberKings were five outs away from evening up the series. Clinton starter Daniel Missaki (ND) allowed a one out single to Yairo Munoz before Peter Miller replaced him out of the bullpen. Miller got Sandber Pimentel to hit a fly ball to Clinton center fielder Arby Fields, but the outfielder misplayed it on the warning track, which allowed Munoz to score the game-tying run.
Beloit starter Brett Graves (ND) had his best start of the season, as he allowed three runs over six innings, and much like Daniel Gossett did Saturday, did enough to give his offense and bullpen a chance to pull off the victory. The bullpen duo of Jose Torres and Carlos Navas (W, 1-0) pitched three shutout innings and set things up for the Snappers' offense in extra innings.
Osmer Morales (L, 0-2), the third pitcher of the game for Clinton, picked up the tough luck loss. After a one out walk to Argenis Raga, Morales balked him to second base, the league high sixth balk for Clinton. Morales retired Edwin Diaz, and appeared to have the game headed for the 10th, as Brett Vertigan grounded out to shortstop Gianfranco Wawoe. But Clinton first baseman Kristian Brito could not handle the throw, and Raga hustled all the way from second and scored the winning run on an E3.
After the tough loss in game one of the double header, the LumberKings fell into an early 2-0 hole in game two. Beloit plated a single run in each of the first two innings via a sacrifice fly off of Clinton starter Tyler Herb (ND). Herb, in his best start of the season, settled into a groove, and allowed only five hits and two runs over five innings. The righty left the game in line for his first win of the season.
Jarrett Brown (BS, 2, L, 1-2) relieved Herb to begin the sixth inning with Clinton ahead 5-2. The lefty retired only one of the five Beloit hitters that he faced. The first two hitters of the inning singled, and Brown walked Max Kuhn to load the bases.
After he struck out Shawn Duinkerk, Joe Bennie made Brown pay on a 3-1 pitch, as his grand slam cleared the wall in right-center field, and turned a three run LumberKings lead into a one run deficit, as Beloit led 6-5 after six innings.
The LumberKings drew a one-out walk in the seventh, but after Wawoe pinch ran for Joe DeCarlo, Estarlyn Morales flied out to center field, and Raga caught Wawoe stealing at second base. Jerad Grundy (SV, 1) picked up the save in his first appearance of 2015.
Kevin Johnson (W, 1-1) allowed three runs over two innings, but Bennie's grand slam took him off the hook for the loss and put him in line for the win.
Bennie entered Sunday's double header without a hit in 22 at-bats at Pohlman Field, and was 0-18 with men in scoring position overall this season. But the outfielder finished the pair of games with five hits, four runs driven in, and two runs scored in the double header sweep.
In game one, Wawoe (2-3) extended his hit streak to a team high 11 games, while with hits in both games, Nelson Ward ran his hit streak to six games. Clinton and Beloit have now met nine times in the first 18 games of the season and will not play again until July 18th at Pohlman Field. Beloit picked up six wins in the nine meetings with Clinton in the first half.
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Midwest League Stories from April 26, 2015
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