Blasters Shut out Laredo in Home Finale
August 28, 2016 - American Association (AA)
Joplin Blasters News Release
The Joplin Blasters continued to affect the American Association playoff chase, securing a series victory over the Laredo Lemurs with a 3-0 victory at Joe Becker Stadium on Sunday night. The third Blaster win in a row came in the final game of the 2016 campaign to be played in Joplin. Laredo remained 2.5 games back of Winnipeg for the wild card spot, while the Blasters moved two games clear of Texas for third place in the South Division.
For the second night in a row, the Blasters struck for two runs in the bottom of the first. The first three hitters of the game recorded hits against All-Star Ryan Beckman, who was tagged with the loss. Mitch Glasser led off the frame with a single into left field, and Geraldo Valentin followed with a double to left center. With runners on second and third with no outs, Edwin Gomez grounded a ball just inside the third base bag, scoring two runs on a double.
That lead would be more than enough for Wander Perez, who was dominant in his final home start. The veteran lefty tossed 6.1 scoreless innings in the shutout, striking out eight hitters without a walk. He allowed just four hits to two Lemur batters, and threw 68 of his 98 pitches for strikes.
Joplin scored their only other run of the home finale in the bottom of the seventh. Glasser recorded his 100th hit of the season with a one-out single. Valentin then hit a grounder back to Beckman, but his errant throw put runners on the corners with one out. Edwin Gomez grounded to the shortstop, but another error allowed both runners to reach, and sent Glasser across the plate for the third and final run of the night. Glasser led the Blasters with three hits in the victory, and Alex Polston added another two.
The Joplin bullpen was dominant, shutting down Laredo in the final 2.2 innings of the contest. Victor Ramirez retired all five hitters he faced, and Roby Romero earned his third save with a flawless ninth inning. Between Perez, Ramirez, and Romero, the Blasters did not walk a hitter for the first time this season. The three hurlers combined for 11 strikeouts, and only faced four more hitters than the minimum
For Laredo, Abel Nieves and Alvaro Rondon each recorded two hits, while the remainder of the lineup went a combined 0-for-24.
The Blasters are now on the road for the final eight games of the season, beginning Monday in Wichita. Joplin starts a four-game series with the Wingnuts at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, and sends righty Mario Morales to the mound. Wichita currently leads Laredo by five games in the South Division, and could clinch the division title as early as Tuesday.
American Association Stories from August 28, 2016
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- Milestone Night for Valentin Leads 3-1 Victory over Laredo - Joplin Blasters
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