MWL1 Burlington Bees

Bees Drop Game of Almosts to Wizards

Published on April 17, 2007 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Burlington Bees News Release


Ft. Wayne, IN (April 17, 2007) - The Ft. Wayne Wizards (3-5) carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Michael Thompson hit a double off the top of the wall that was almost a game-tying home run and the Burlington Bees (7-3) almost pulled out a win despite just two hits at Memorial Stadium tonight. The loss snaps the Bees' five-game winning streak and was the team's first road loss of the year.

The Wizards got their two runs early against Ryan DiPietro, making his first start of the season for the Bees. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Cedric Hunter singled and went to second on a wild pitch. Daryl Jones brought him in with a single to right-center and then was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. In the third, Tom King laced a two-out double to left-center and scored on a base hit by Rayner Contreras. DiPietro (0-1) would work through 4.1 innings and tied a career-high with seven strikeouts, but got the loss. Josh Cribb followed him to the mound in the fifth inning for his season debut and was perfect over the final 3.2 innings while fanning five.

Wizards' starter Andy Underwood (2-0) had a spell on the Bees' batters through the first six innings. In the top of the first, Chris McConnell reached when he swung and missed at strike three in the dirt and the ball went to the backstop. The only runner against Underwood came on a one-out walk to Matt Morizio in the sixth, but Alvi Morel hit the first pitch back to the mound that Underwood turned into an inning-ending double play.

Derek McDaid set the Bees down in order in the seventh and turned the no-hitter over to Rolando Valdez in the eighth. Joe Dickerson reached on an error by shortstop Jesus Lopez to start the inning and then Thompson hit a blast to left that hit off the top foot of the 16-foot outfield wall for a double with Dickerson going to third. Scott Lucas brought in Dickerson with a groundout to second, but the Bees left the tying run at third when Valdez caught O.D. Gonzalez and Morizio looking at strike three to end the inning.

The Wizards turned to R.J. Rodriguez in the ninth and Morel greeted him with a solid single to right. McConnell tried to move him up with a bunt, but pushed the ball to the mound and Rodriguez got the force out at second for the first out of the inning. After a walk to Kurt Mertins, Rodriguez struck out Jase Turner to make Dickerson the Bees' final hope. Dickerson hit a sharp ground ball back towards the middle and second baseman Tom King ranged to make a back-hand stop and flipped to second, but the base umpire called Mertins safe saying that Lopez never stepped on the base. McConnell had stopped halfway between third and home anticipating the out call and Lopez recovered in time to throw to the plate to get him out and end the game. The out got Rodriguez his second save.

The Bees and Wizards continue this series tomorrow night with a 5:00 Central Time start at Memorial Stadium. LH Brent Fisher (0-0, 3.60) will start for the Bees against LH Orlando Lara (0-1, 12.27) for the Wizards. The game will be broadcast live on KBUR AM 1490 and KBKB AM 1360 with the pre-game show starting at 4:40.

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Midwest League Stories from April 17, 2007


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