18 Hits Lead Blasters to Series Finale Win in Laredo
June 9, 2016 - American Association (AA)
Joplin Blasters News Release
The Joplin Blasters recorded 18 hits on Wednesday night, pulling away late for an 8-1 victory over the Laredo Lemurs at Uni-Trade Stadium. The win was Joplin's first road victory of the season, and saw all nine hitters in the Blasters order post at least one hit.
The first three innings of the game were marked by solid starting pitching. Patrick Mincey took a no-hitter into the fifth inning for the Blasters, while Laredo's Ryan Beckman worked out of trouble in the opening three frames.
Joplin started the scoring in the top of the fourth inning. Charlie Valerio clubbed a double with one out, and advanced to third base on a single by Will Soto. With runners on the corners, Cory Morales gave Joplin a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the fifth, Laredo answered with a run of their own to tie the game. A walk to Reggie Wilson began the inning, and a single by Alvaro Rondon- the first surrendered by Mincey- put runners on first and second. After a double play, JD Pulfer and Travis Denker drew walks to load the bases. Another walk to Denis Phipps from reliever Jake Negrete brought in the first Lemur run, tying the game at one after five innings.
A second double by Valerio started the sixth inning, during which the Blasters took the lead for good. Soto followed with another double, scoring Valerio and giving the Blasters a 2-1 advantage. Soto led the Blasters with three RBIs in the victory.
The lead was extended to three runs in the seventh. Ronnie Richardson and Mitch Glasser started the frame with singles, which put runners on first and third with no outs. Geraldo Valentin drove in Richardson on a single, and Glasser scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Soto.
A four-run eighth put the game away for the Blasters. In his first game at the plate since 2003, former major leaguer Alberto Castillo hit a double to lead off the inning. The first baseman marked his first game at the plate in 13 years with a 3-for-5 performance. After a strikeout, Ronnie Richardson laced a triple to right field, scoring Castillo. Richardson scored on an errant throw while the outfielder was in a rundown. The final two runs of the eighth were driven in by Willie Cabrera and Soto. Cabrera's RBI single drove in his 20th run of the season, one of the top totals in the Association through 20 games.
Negrete earned the victory for the Blasters, with the final three Joplin pitchers combining for 3.2 spotless innings of work. Keith Picht, Victor Capellan and Winston Abreu shut down the Laredo lineup in the closing innings of the game, allowing the Blasters to build an insurmountable lead.
After winning the series finale in Laredo, the Blasters get Thursday off before journeying to Kansas City for a four game set with the Kansas City T-Bones. The Blasters will send Josh Hodges to the mound on Friday for the opening game of the series.
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