Captains Earn Sweep and a Title

Published on September 10, 2010 under American Association (AA)
Shreveport-Bossier Captains News Release


SIOUX FALLS, S. Dak. - It had been 15 years since a team that called Fair Grounds Field home won a championship, but on a chilly night in South Dakota, the Shreveport-Bossier Captains ended that drought, winning their first title in franchise history with a 4-0 win over the North Division champions Sioux Falls Pheasants on Friday night at Sioux Falls Stadium, sweeping the best-of-five American Association Championship Series three games to none.

As had been the case in Games 1 and 2, the Captains got seven innings without allowing an earned run from their starter, this time Richard Salazar (2-0), and while it took a bit longer to get the lead in this game, the Captains got it and shut the door.

The first five innings rolled by in just over an hour as neither team had a strong scoring chance. But Brian Peterson, who singled earlier in the game, led off the sixth with a solo home run to right to break the deadlock.

Perhaps rattled, Sioux Falls starter Ryan Rodriguez (0-1) then threw away a trickler by Jovanny Rosario for a hit and an error. Bryan Sabatella's perfectly-placed push bunt put runners at the corners, before a stolen base, strikeout and intentional walk to Christopher Garcia loaded the bases. Palmer Karr then lofted a fly ball to left that was deep enough to score Rosario from third on a sacrifice fly.

The Captains tacked on two more in the eighth on a big 0-2, two-out, two-run single by Andres Rodriguez, as Salazar made it stand up. The veteran lefty earned his second win of this postseason, by allowing only four hits and no walks, with four strikeouts and not one inning where the Pheasants had more than one baserunner.

Shreveport-Bossier manager Ricky VanAsselberg went right to closer Hector Carrasco in the eighth, and he delivered, getting a strikeout, foul-out and a groundout in that frame. In the ninth inning, the former Major-Leaguer got Tim Hutting to ground to third, before Reggie Abercrombie beat out a grounder to third. Carrasco could not field Beau Torbert's grounder up the middle but Uriak Marquez did and he threw to first to put the Captains one out away. Up came Brandon Sing, and he bounced another ball to defensive replacement Mike Provencher at third. The throw was true to new first baseman Andres Rodriguez, and the Captains poured out of the dugout and bullpen, and rushed in towards the mound to celebrate the championship.

Notes: The Captains outscored the Pheasants 10-2 in the finals, with Sioux Falls only getting 14 hits and one earned run...Peterson finished the playoffs as the Captains leader in batting average (.400) and tied with Karr for RBIs with seven...Sioux Falls only had one hit in the last four innings, Abercrombie's infield single...The Captains finished the season 29-22 on the road (including the postseason) and had at least a .500 record in every ballpark they played in except Sioux City, beating the Pheasants to win the title on a field that Sioux Falls was 41-9 at before Game 3 (including the playoffs)...This was the first Championship Series sweep in American Association history and the first in the league's lineage since Shreveport was swept in 2004 by Edinburg in the Central League.

The 2010 American Association Champion Shreveport-Bossier Captains thank all of the people who made the 2010 regular season such a success. Check back at the team's official Web site www.sbcaptains.com for the 2011 schedule and any other off-season news as develops. For information on 2011 tickets, promotions, advertising, and other opportunities with the Captains, check out the Web site as well, or call the Fair Grounds Field office at (318) 636-5555.

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American Association Stories from September 10, 2010


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