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New Orleans Baby Cakes

Zephyrs, River Cats Split Doubleheader

July 19, 2016 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
New Orleans Baby Cakes News Release


Austin Nola's fourth-inning home run snapped a scoreless tie and helped the New Orleans Zephyrs salvage a split of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Sacramento River Cats by taking the nightcap, 3-0.

Nola homered for the first time in 66 career games at Zephyr Field, a solo shot off Steven Okert with one out in the fourth to snap the Zephyrs' 19-inning scoreless streak stretching to the eighth inning of Saturday's win over Fresno.

The first two Zephyrs reached base in the bottom of the fifth, and Adrian Nieto laced a double down the left field line to score both runners and stretch the Z's lead to 3-0.

Over his last 14 starts, Nieto is batting .333 with four doubles, one home run and 12 RBI.

Kendry Flores (3-2) gave up three hits in five innings to earn the win, with four strikeouts and two walks. Jo-Jo Reyes worked the final two innings to pick up his fourth save and wrap up the Zephyrs' league-leading ninth shutout of the year.

Okert (4-3) took the loss in relief of starter Vin Mazzaro, the former Zephyr who tossed three hitless innings in a spot start.

In the opener, Sacramento faced just one batter over the minimum as Ty Blach and Jean Machi combined on a one-hitter.

Blach (10-5) kept the Z's hitless until bloop single to right field by Destin Hood leading off the fifth inning. Hood was erased on a double play grounder by Tomas Telis, and the Zephyrs' only other baserunner came an error by third baseman Ali Castillo in the sixth.

Dylan Axelrod cruised through four scoreless innings in his first start in 11 days for the Zephyrs. Chris Narveson (3-3) took over in the fifth and ran into trouble in the sixth, walking the bases loaded with one out before a strikeout and a line out ended the threat.

An inning later, a one-out walk to Kelby Tomlinson opened the door for the game's lone run. Castillo followed with a single, and pinch-hitter Juan Ciriaco ripped a single up the middle to score Tomlinson.

Machi struck out a pair in the bottom of the inning to preserve his fifth save and Blach's 10th win, tying him with Nashville's Dillon Overton for the Pacific Coast League lead.

New Orleans was shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since June 27-28, 2014, and was held to just three hits total in the two losses.

Dee Gordon, playing for the first time since beginning an 80-game suspension in April 29, started at second base for the Zephyrs in both games and went hitless in five at-bats. He exited the second game after experiencing leg cramps during his fourth-inning at-bat.

The Z's and River Cats continue the series on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

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