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 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Wins Home Finale, Sets Team Victories Record

September 2, 2015 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


(Charleston, W.V. - September 2, 2015) - The West Virginia Power downed the Lexington Legends 12-9 in the final home game of the regular season on Wednesday night at Appalachian Power Park. With the victory, the Power won its 83rd game of the season, setting a new franchise record for wins in a single season.

West Virginia finished its home season with a 48-22 record. The 48 wins were the most in franchise history, surpassing the previous record of 44 set in the 2007 season.

After a clean first inning from both starters, Lexington struck for the first run in the second inning. Wander Franco clubbed a leadoff homer to right to give the Legends a 1-0 advantage.

The Power responded with a two-out rally in the bottom of the second to tie the game. Elvis Escobar pulled a triple to right and scored on a double off the right field wall by Chase Simpson.

Lexington added three more runs in the third and two in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. Chad Johnson laced an RBI double to left-center to reclaim the lead for the Legends. With two outs, Anderson Miller pulled a two-run single to right to score Austin Bailey and Johnson. In the fourth, Bailey laced a two-run triple to make it 6-1.

West Virginia scored nine runs between the fourth and fifth inning to reclaim the lead. In the fourth, The Power put Jerrick Suiter and Pablo Reyes in scoring position for Escobar who singled to give make it 6-2. The lead was cut down to two on an RBI single from Francisco Diaz and an error by Lexington, which allowed Escobar to score. Kevin Newman provided the final RBI for the Power in the inning with a single which scored Tito Polo.

The five-run fifth inning for the Power gave West Virginia a 10-6 lead. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Escobar tallied his third hit of the night, a single to right to score Connor Joe and tie the game. The next pitch from Nik Stephenson went wild, allowing Suiter to score the go-ahead run. With Simpson batting, he lined a two-run double to right, scoring Reyes and Escobar and it gave the Power a 9-6 lead. Diaz collected his second hit of the night, an RBI single to make it 10-6.

The Power added a run in the sixth on Escobar's third RBI of the night, a fielder's choice which plated Joe.

After Lexington made it 11-7 in the seventh, the Power responded with another run. Polo launched a solo shot to lead off the seventh to give the Power a 12-7 lead.

Lexington's rally in the ninth fell short. Michael Hill hit a leadoff home run to right and Chad Johnson added an RBI single to make it 12-9 before an out was recorded.

Jake Burnette (5-4) earned the win in relief of Alex McRae, who surrendered five runs over four innings. Burnette worked three innings and allowed one run on three hit. Stephenson (4-9) took the loss for the Legends.

West Virginia (46-19, 83-51) finished the season with a 15-5 record against Lexington (24-39, 55-78) and begin the final five games of the regular season in Kannapolis, North Carolina. RHP Colten Brewer (5-9, 4.81) will toe the rubber for West Virginia opposite of Kannapolis RHP Kelvis Valerio (2-2, 4.40). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. while pregame on Charleston's ESPN Radio 104.5 FM and 1490, the Power website, and the TuneIn Radio App is slated for 6:45 p.m.

The Power return to Appalachian Power Park for Game One of the South Atlantic League's Northern Division Championship Series against the Hickory Crawdads on Wednesday, September 9. General Admission tickets are free when acquired in advance while box seats are available for just $2 when purchased prior to September 9. Additionally, the first 1,000 fans will receive rally towels. The free tickets are courtesy of Suddenlink, Proud Eagle, Thomas Hospital, MVB Bank, and the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

For tickets and additional information, visit www.wvpower.com, call (304) 344-BATS (2287) or stop by the Power box office at 601 Morris Street.

Second Half Record 46-19

Overall Record 83-50


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