Captains outlast Diablos in 12

Published on July 27, 2009 under American Association (AA)
Shreveport-Bossier Captains News Release


EL PASO, Texas - In the longest game they have played this season, the Shreveport-Bossier Captains went back and forth with the El Paso Diablos for four hours and 41 minutes. Each team had a few chances to win, staged late-inning comebacks, and got both big-time hits and big-time clutch pitching. But in the 12th inning, the Diablos finally cracked, as Shreveport-Bossier scored seven runs and kept El Paso off the scoreboard in the bottom half to give the Captains a 15-8 victory at Cohen Stadium.

Richard Paz began the winning rally with a walk against Anthony Pluta (2-5). Christopher Garcia, who started the game 0-for-4 with three strikeouts before getting hits in his last three at-bats, then singled to send Paz to third. Andres Rodriguez, who already had four hits and three RBIs in the game, was then intentionally walked to load the bases for Selwyn Langaigne. The veteran outfielder responded to the challenge with a line drive down the leftfield line, scoring two runs to give Shreveport-Bossier (35-30, 13-4 2nd half) a 10-8 lead. From there the floodgates opened, as Jose Torres knocked in two more through a drawn-in infield, Jonathan Reynoso, Tommy Bryant and Bryan Sabatella each drove in a run to cap the seven-run rally.

The game only got that far because of a late Captains rally, erasing a 7-3 deficit with a run in the eighth and three more in the ninth. Bryant hit an RBI single in the eighth inning against Yury Santana, before Garcia started the ninth-inning rally against closer Mike Cervera with a one-out single to left. After Rodriguez reached on a single up the middle that took a high hop by shortstop Arnoldo Ponce, Langaigne doubled home two runs to rightfield to make it 7-6. Jose Torres followed with a walk, and after a wild pitch, pinch-hitter Kevin Griffin was intentionally walked to load the bases. Jonathan Reynoso then stepped up and looked at four more wide ones to tie the game up.

But as things have gone between the Captains and Diablos (28-36, 7-9) this season, especially at Cohen Stadium, the path to extra innings was not easy. Jakob Cunningham came in and gave up a bloop single to Kennard Bibbs before Ponce failed to lay down a successful sacrifice bunt, as Cunningham threw Bibbs out at second. But Jorge Alvarez and Juan Camacho then each hit slow infield hits to load the bases with one out. With the winning run 90 feet away, Cunningham proceeded to strike out Jeff Vincent and Mike Provencher to send the game to the 10th.

Shreveport-Bossier got the lead off Cervera, who ended up working the 11th as well, when Garcia hit a two-out grounder that took another bad hop and went by the second baseman Hector Bernal for a double. Rodriguez then lined a 3-1 pitch for his fourth hit of the night and the Captains' first lead since the first inning.

Justin Dowdy came in to try to get the save, but Griffin, who was forced to play second because the Captains had emptied their bench, mishandled Jerry Verastegui's leadoff grounder, allowing him to get to second. After Eddy Rodriguez bunted pinch runner David Washington to third, Dowdy proceeded to strike out Hector Bernal to get the Captains within an out of victory. But Bibbs fouled off a few two-strike pitches, Dowdy just missed outside on 2-2, and Bibbs lined the full-count pitch just past a diving Rodriguez through the left side for a game-tying hit.

After Cervera's shutout top of the 11th, Matt Petty (4-1) gave up only a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, but got Provencher to fly out to send the game to the 12th, the first time the Captains had gone past 11 this year. Petty also threw a 1-2-3 12th to seal the win.

Shreveport-Bossier scored in the first inning to take the lead when Paz singled and scored on Rodriguez's two-out double, but the Diablos quickly tied it up. Sabatella, playing at second to start the game for the first time this season, made an error on Bibbs's leadoff grounder, and Bibbs scored on Camacho's two-out double against Derrick Miramontes, making his second professional start.

The Diablos took the lead with two in the second, as Provencher and Verastegui led off with singles, and after a passed ball, El Paso's Rodriguez knocked them both in with a single to left. The Captains tied the game against Clegg Snipes in the fifth, though, as Garcia knocked in a run with a grounder and Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to right. But Camacho went the other way with a solo two-out homer in the fifth, restoring El Paso's lead.

Miramontes ended up going 5 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs, two earned, with no walks and three strikeouts. His counterpart, Snipes, went 6 2/3, with 10 hits and three runs, all earned, including two walks and three punchouts. El Paso got three insurance runs off Tony Pierce in the seventh, including two on a homer by Alvarez to extend to their game-high four-run lead before the Captains began their comeback.

Notes: Shreveport-Bossier did not issue a single walk in the game...Bernal and Washington (who only had one at-bat) were the only hitters on either side to not get a hit in the game, with Bernal going 0-for-6 and striking out his final five at-bats...Griffin pinch-hit for Joe Urtuzuastegui, who pinch-ran for Dwayne White, who left the game after being hit by a pitch in the knee in the eighth...Paz played short, second and short again in the game, Sabatella went from second to left, and Griffin and Garcia switched places in the right side of the infield for the 12th...Robert Romero went an inning and two-thirds of perfect relief for the Captains...The Captains had a season-high 23 hits. El Paso had 17.

The Shreveport-Bossier Captains continue their four-game series with the El Paso Diablo on Monday, July 27 at 8:05 p.m. Central Time. After an off day on Thursday, the Captains are back at home to welcome in the Lincoln Saltdogs for three, starting on Friday, July 31, at 7:05 p.m. Kids can run the bases free after that game, which is also Boy Scout Night. All games are broadcast on ESPN Radio, KRMD-1340 AM and streamed live on supertalk1340.com, with streaming video provided by NiftyTV on www.sbcaptains.com for all home games and select road games. For information on tickets, promotions, advertising, and other opportunities with the Captains, check out the team's Web site at www.sbcaptains.com, or call the Fair Grounds Field office at (318) 636-5555.

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American Association Stories from July 27, 2009


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