Big Innings Lead to Big Shutout Win

Published on June 16, 2011 under Midwest League (MWL1)
South Bend Silver Hawks News Release


Lansing, MI - The South Bend Silver Hawks used two big innings to rout the Lansing Lugnuts 12-0 on Thursday night, taking the series two games to one. In addition to the great offense, South Bend tied their season best by holding the Lugnuts to just two hits.

Ender Inciarte started the first inning rally with an infield single and was sacrificed to second by Mike Freeman. Zach Walters followed with a RBI single to right for the 1-0 lead. After Yazy Arbelo walked, Matt Helm hit a ground ball to short that should have been an inning-ending double play. Instead, Kevin Nolan bobbled the ball, but avoided an error by still getting the out at first base.

Lansing starter Egan Smith (LP, 2-2) would have preferred the error, because without it, what happened next made all the runs earned. Raywilly Gomez followed up Helm's groundout with a two-run double and Roberto Ortiz hit a two-run homer for the 5-0 lead. Chris Jarrett then tripled, Raul Navarro walked, and Smith's day was finished without getting out of the first. With Tyler Powell (ND) pitching, Navarro and Jarrett pulled off a double steal for the 6-0 lead before the inning ended.

While the offense did the work early, South Bend starter Jeff Shields (WP, 4-6) made sure that Lansing would not come back. Shields bounced back from consecutive losses with five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out three.

Dan Taylor (ND) and Chris Odegaard (ND) each followed with two perfect innings of relief, and the three pitchers combined on the team's sixth shutout of the season. Odegaard has not allowed a run in any of the 12.2 innings he's pitched for South Bend this season, covering 10 appearances.

Walters added a RBI double in the fourth inning to make it 7-0, and then the Silver Hawks exploded for five more runs in the top of the eighth. Inciarte, Freeman, Arbelo, Helm, and Gomez all had RBIs in the second big inning of the night for South Bend.

Gomez finished the night with four hits and three RBIs, while Walters had three hits and two RBIs. Every Silver Hawk had a run scored on the night, with eight different players picking up at least one hit.

The Silver Hawks return to Coveleski Stadium on Friday evening to battle the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays ) at 7:30 PM Eastern Time with postgame fireworks sponsored by MomsEveryDay.com and 1st Source Bank. RHP Tyler Green (2-1, 4.43 ERA) will start for South Bend against LHP C.J. Riefenhauser (4-5, 2.47 ERA) of Bowling Green. Pregame coverage begins at 7:10 PM Eastern Time on www.sportsjuice.com and www.silverhawks.com.

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Midwest League Stories from June 16, 2011


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