Blasters Fall to Laredo on "Odd" Night
August 20, 2016 - American Association (AA)
Joplin Blasters News Release
It was an odd night at Uni-Trade Stadium on Friday.
The host Laredo Lemurs scored seven of their eight runs in odd-numbered innings, winning the series opener over the Joplin Blasters 8-5. Laredo has won eleven of the fourteen games between the two teams this season.
Laredo never trailed in the contest, scoring the first run of the game in the bottom of the first frame. Denis Phipps hit his 18th home run of the season off eventual losing pitcher Luis Gonzalez. Phipps' one-out solo shot started the scoring for the Lemurs.
The scoring continued in the bottom of the third. Jimmy Norris led off the inning with a single, and proceeded to steal second base. The next two hitters were retired by Gonzalez, but Jesus Posso drove in Norris with a single, pushing the Laredo lead to 2-0.
Without the aid of a hit, the Blasters pulled within one run in the top of the fourth. Walks by Geraldo Valentin, Edwin Gomez, and Mark Krueger loaded the bases with two outs. Conor Sullivan drove in the first Blaster run with a walk, drawing the free pass on a 3-2 pitch.
Blaster manager Gabe Suarez was ejected in the fourth after Brandon Tierney was hit by a pitch, but was ruled to have not made an attempt to avoid the delivery.
An error helped Laredo score in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ty Morrison reached on a throwing error from Gonzalez. He scored on a one-out single from Abel Nieves, who was subsequently thrown out by Sullivan trying to steal second.
The Blasters responded in the top of the sixth. Gomez and Krueger each reached base for the second time with singles. With runners on the corners and one out, KC Huth drove in Gomez with a sacrifice fly to right field. The Blasters trailed 3-2 after six innings.
Four runs in the bottom of the seventh put the game out of reach in favor of the Lemurs. JD Pulfer hit a leadoff double, and scored on a wild pitch. A walk, an error, and a passed ball allowed Alvaro Rondon to score, while Posso drove in two more runs with a two-out single.
Huth and Sullivan drove in their second runs of the game in the top of the eighth. Huth scored Tierney on a double, while Sullivan's groundout to second allowed Krueger to cross the plate.
Both teams scored in their final trip to the plate. Brennan Metzger hit an RBI single in the top of the eighth, and Geraldo Valentin hit his 13th home run for the Blasters in the top of the ninth to conclude the scoring.
The second game of the series is set for 7:05 pm on Saturday, and will see righty Santos Arias on the mound for the Blasters. The game will be broadcast online only due to a scheduling conflict, and will be available via a link on JoplinBlasters.com.
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