PL Idaho Falls Chukars

Chukars Tame Mustangs 5-3

Published on August 11, 2008 under Pioneer League (PL)
Idaho Falls Chukars News Release


The Idaho Falls Chukars won a back-and-forth game against the Billings Mustangs 5-3 Sunday afternoon at Dehler Park. With the victory the Chukars avoided being swept in the four-game series in Billings, Montana.

The pitchers looked stellar from the start for Idaho Falls. Bryan Casey was charged with two earned runs in the first inning and that was all he gave up. Casey finished with eight strikeouts in five innings on the mound, and in that time he only gave up one hit. Derrick Saito was first out the bullpen and he earned his first win of the season. Saito is now 1-4 after giving up one run and striking out three batters in two innings of work. Blaine Hardy dominated the last two innings as he earned his second save of the season. Hardy retired all six batters he faced, five on strikeouts.

Most of the offensive production for the Chukars came from the batters in the fifth through eighth spots in the order. Devery Van De Keere went 3-for-3 at the plate, with a walk and two runs scored. Both times Van De Keere scored it was after a Carlo Testa hit. Testa finished 2-for-3, with the two RBIs, a run scored and a walk. Sean McCauley and Tito Espinosa both went 1-for-4 with a double, while Espinosa drove in a run and McCauley scored a run. Four Chukars combined to steal five bases: Alwin Perez, Antonio Jimenez, Devery Van De Keere each had one and Carlo Testa snagged two.

The Chukars took the lead with a run in the top of the first innings thanks mostly to back-to-back hits by Fernando Garcia and Alwin Perez at the top of the order. Jimenez hit a sacrifice fly to left to bring Garcia home and put the Chukars up 1-0. The Mustangs answered back with two unearned runs in bottom of the first without getting a hit. The Chukars immediately tied the game in the top of the second inning on one of the two times Testa drove in Van De Keere. The game stayed tied at 2-2 until the sixth when doubles by McCauley and Espinosa gave the Chukars a one-run lead. A two-out rally in the seventh by the Mustangs tied the game at 3-3. The Chukars had the last laugh with two runs in the top of the eighth inning off of two hits and a Mustangs' error.

The victory broke a six-game losing streak for the Chukars. The Chukars are in Great Falls, Montana for the next three games. The Chukars-Voyagers series starts Monday at 7:05. All three games of the series can be heard in Idaho Falls on 980 AM and 103.7 FM. Fans worldwide can hear the games by logging on to www.ifchukars.com.

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Pioneer League Stories from August 11, 2008


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