Captains return favor with 14-3 blowout

Published on August 15, 2009 under American Association (AA)
Shreveport-Bossier Captains News Release


GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - After getting beat 17-4 by the Grand Prairie AirHogs on Friday night, many of the Shreveport-Bossier Captains joked that after they lost 18-0 here on August 6, they went on an eight-game winning streak, so they were due for another run now. The Captains took the first step to that run Saturday night, with a blowout back at the AirHogs, beating Grand Prairie 14-3 at QuikTrip Park.

The Captains 2-through-7 hitters did most of the damage in the game, going a combined 15-for-27 with 11 runs scored and all 11 RBIs. Christopher Garcia led the way with a four-hit night, and Jose Torres had three for the Captains (40-42, 18-16 2nd half), who made tomorrow's game a rubber match with the win.

Like Luke Massetti, who only pitched to three batters on Friday night, Grand Prairie starter Steve MacFarland (0-3) was knocked out in the first this time. He walked Bryan Sabatella to start the game on four pitches, before Dwayne White and Garcia singled, each on 1-2 pitches, to get the Captains a 1-0 lead. Andres Rodriguez then walked, before Torres was hit by a pitch to force in a run. After Luis Guance grounded to first to bring home the third run of the frame, MacFarland gave way to Jose Cordero, who has both started and relieved this season.

Cordero was immediately greeted by a hit by Jonathan Reynoso through the drawn-in infield to make it 4-0, before the righty eventually got out of the inning. With all of the time in the top of the first, Ronald Lowe (6-9) took some extra warm-up throws in the bullpen while the Captains were batting, but he came out with two straight strikes to Aaron Garza. But Lowe got back to 3-2 and then gave up a single, before two straight groundouts.

The lefty then walked Mike Conroy on four straight pitches, and Javier Brito came back with a two-run double down the right-field line to cut the Captains lead in half. Cordero then threw a 1-2-3 second and it looked like the game's momentum may have shifted. But Lowe responded with a perfect frame in the bottom of the second, and seized the game right back. Cordero walked Rodriguez and Torres to start the third, Guance singled to bring Rodriguez in and JB Tucker's throw back to second for Guance sailed into center to allow Torres to score.

In the fourth, Shreveport-Bossier broke the game open, as White doubled to right-center with one out, coming in to score on another single by Garcia. After a broken-bat lineout by Rodriguez, Guance ripped a double down the leftfield line to bring home two more. Reynoso brought Guance in with another base hit, before an error by first-baseman Javier Brito allowed Reynoso to score. It was the second inning that the Captains batted around in, and gave them a commanding 11-2 lead.

Lowe cruised through the first six innings, allowing only three walks and a single after the first. He finished with two runs allowed on three hits, with four walks and four strikeouts to get his first win since a five-inning, rain-shortened win against Pensacola on July 16 - the last of the Captains eight-game winning streak.

Cordero took one for the team, going 6 2/3 innings out of the pen, allowing 13 hits and 10 runs (seven earned) with three walks and three strikeouts on 129 pitches.

The Captains got a run in the sixth and two in the seventh to finish their scoring, while Derrick Miramontes pitched two scoreless innings and Justin Dowdy struck out the side in the ninth around a two-out solo homer by rookie Jonathan Dziomba, his first as a professional.

At the end of the day, though, the Captains leapfrogged Grand Prairie (41-42, 18-17) back into second place behind Pensacola in the 2nd half playoff race.

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American Association Stories from August 15, 2009


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