Aces Take Doubleheader from WhiteWings Saturday Night
June 9, 2013 - United League Baseball (ULB)
Alexandria Aces News Release
HARLINGEN- The Alexandria Aces now have a winning record for the since time since opening day after sweeping a doubleheader from the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings on Saturday.
In the first game, Jon Jones threw a complete game five-hitter to defeat the WhiteWings, 3-1. In the second, Dan Schmidt won his Alexandria debut with five strong innings before giving way to the Aces bullpen in a 3-2 triumph.
The two victories give Alexandria seven victories in their last 10 games and an 8-7 record. The Aces are now in second place in the United League, two games behind first place Fort Worth.
"This team is starting to believe they're among the best in the league," said Aces manager Von Hayes. "We have to be there in terms of talent."
The Aces have been a strong hitting team this season, leading the United League with a .272 team average. But they have struggled to find quality starting pitching this season.
The opposite was the case Saturday night at Harlingen Field. Jon Jones threw the Aces' first complete game of the year, retiring the last nine batters he faced while walking three and striking out five.
"I started pitching to contact, moving my fastball in and out," Jones said. "I knew if I continued to go for strikeouts it would increase my pitch count. I'd been doing that and hadn't gone deep into games this year."
Jones began the game by fanning four batters in the first four innings before making his adjustment and not allowing a single batter to reach in the final three innings.
The Aces took an initial 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Eddie Murray single in the first off Bobby O'Neill (2-1), went to second when catcher Johnny Bowden's pickoff attempt trickled past first baseman Danny Pembroke, allowing Murray to advance to second, and scoring in Nick Mahin's single.
The WhiteWings tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Aaron Gates' RBI double with one out to plate Thomas Shull. Gates now is tied with San Angelo's Kyle Nichols for the United League lead in RBIs with 16.
O'Neill continued to scatter base runners until giving up two more runs in the top of the fifth. Derrick Pyles' two out single through the box with the bases loaded plated Michael Hayes and Murray with the winning runs.
In the second game, Perth, Australia native Schmidt was given an initial 3-0 lead with one run in the top of the second inning and two more in the third. With Brett Kennedy pitching, Pyles reached on an error by third baseman Kevin Lusson and then went to second base on a pass ball by catcher Johnny Cappulino. Ryan Gasporra's ground ball single to right field put Pyles at third, and he would score on a sacrifice fly to right field off the bat of Cameron Dullnig.
In the third, after shortstop Troy Zawadzki's otherwise spectacular day in the field was marred with a two out error to exend the inning, Austin Newell capitalized with a two out double to right field to plate Murray and Mahin.
The WhiteWings responded with single runs in the fourth and fifth. Kevin Lusson's two out single to right drove in Thomas Shull with the first run, and Albert Carpen's two out hit scored Dan Pembroke in the fifth.
Shull would follow with a hit of his own, and with runners at first and third Gates came up.
Schmidt (1-0), who allowed five hits and one walk in the game, was allowed to continue in large part because he and Gates are lefthanded. Ignoring his slider, Schmidt challenged the WhiteWings' third place hitter with fastballs, and got him to ground out to end the threat.
While Nathan Stewart walked the bases loaded in the sixth, Brandon Creath came on with two outs to strike out Zawadzki on three pitches.
Gabe Grammer retired Rio Grande Valley in order in the seventh for his second save.
Schmidt, who Hayes said is now in his starting rotation, allowed only one earned run in his outing.
Kennedy (1-1) was a tough luck loser, allowing no earned runs and only five hits in a complete game outing.
The Aces, who have won five of their last six games, will now go for their third straight victory behind Ryan Zimmerman (1-0), who will face Atony Bello (0-3) Sunday at 7:05 p.m. to close out the series.
NOTES- An interference call on Hayes, who coaches third base for the Aces as part of his managerial duties, resulted in a double play for the WhiteWings in the top of the sixth.
With Doug Freeman on third base and Haynes on at second, Eddie Murray hit a ground ball to Zawadzki playing in. The shortstop threw home, forcing Freeman into a rundown, and the catcher went back to third base, where Haynes had already advanced to.
Rio Grande Valley catcher Bowden then tagged out Freeman and Haynes, and since Hayes had put his hands on the runners in the process to instruct both runners to stay on the base, the manager was called for interference.
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