Columbus game notes

Published on June 12, 2005 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbus Catfish News Release


Tonight in Kannapolis: The Columbus Catfish (25-37, 8th in SAL-Southern Division, 15.0 GB of First) take on the Kannapolis Intimidators (32-31, 6th in the SAL, 8.5 GB of First in the SALSouthern), the Single-A Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in the second game of a four-game set in Kannapolis. Last night, the Catfish shut out the Intimidators, winning the first game of the series by a 3-0 score. Just seven games remain in the first half for Columbus. Tonight, RHP Zach Hammes makes his first start of the season for the Fish. Hammes started 47 games in the 2003-2004 seasons for the South Georgia Waves/Columbus Catfish, but has only appeared in the bullpen in 2005. First pitch tonight is scheduled for 5:05 PM at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis, NC.

Yesterday: The Columbus Catfish won their first road series-opener this season by shutting out the Kannapolis Intimidators (Chicago White Sox) 3-0 at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis. RHP Chris Malone did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and picked up his sixth win of the season, giving up just two base hits and striking out eight in six innings. LHP Scott Elbert pitched one inning out of the bullpen to get some work in relief, and RHP Albenis Castillo tossed two innings of scoreless relief for his fourth save of the season. The victory for the Fish is their second straight on the road as they improve to 9-23 away from home and 25-37 overall, dropping Kannapolis to 32-30 overall.

Dodger Pitchers of the Month: RHP Chris Malone and RHP Blake Johnson were named the Los Angeles Dodgers Minor League Co-Pitchers of the Month for May. Malone, a 6'4" righthander from Riverbank, CA, was signed as a free agent in August of 2004 and is pitching in his first professional season. He is 6-2 with a 2.98 ERA, and in the month of May he finished 4- 1 with a 1.15 ERA in eight appearances (five starts). Malone tossed back-to-back complete games on 5/26 vs. Hickory and 5/31 vs. Greenville. He carried a perfect game into the ninth inning against Greenville but ended up tossing a one-hitter. The 6'4" Johnson was the Dodgers second round pick from Baton Rouge, LA in 2004. He got off to an outstanding start in May when he threw a seven-inning, two-hit, complete game shutout on May 2nd vs. Savannah. In May, Johnson finished with a 3-1 record and 0.91 ERA in five starts. Overall, Johnson has a 4-3 record and a 2.83 ERA after 11 starts in 2005 for the Catfish. Columbus Catfish Baseball

All-Stars: South Atlantic League Commissioner John Moss named the 2005 South Atlantic League All-Star Team, with the Catfish claiming two roster spots on the Southern Division squad. 2B Travis Denker will start at second base for the Southern Division. The Brea, CA native has played in each game for the Catfish, co-leading the team with 8 HR, a .407 OBP and a adding a .271 average and 31 RBI. RHP Blake Johnson (4-3, 2.83 ERA, 11GS) was named to the Southern Division squad as well and will pitch out of the bullpen. Charleston led the league with six All-Star Selections, and the Southern Division will be managed by the RiverDogs Manager, Bill Mosiello. The Kannapolis Intimidators had three players named to the All Star Team: LHP Gio Gonzalez, LHP Ray Liotta, and UT David Cook. The Kannapolis Intimidators: The Intimidators enter tonight's game coming off a loss last night but in the pervious series taking three of four games from first-place Charleston at Riley Park in Charleston. Kannapolis is affiliated with the Chicago White Sox, and has some of the White Sox's best talent from the 2004 draft. LHP Ray Liotta (4-2, 2.61) was named to the 2005 SAL All-Star Team and will be tonight's starter. Liotta was a second round draft selection in 2004. OF David Cook (.310, 14 HR, 31 RBI) leads the way offensively for the Intimidators, who are T-12th in the SAL in batting average at .247. The pitching staff is third in the league with an impressive 3.31 ERA. Manager Nick Capra is in his first year as the Manager of the I's after three years as the Manager for Class AAA Charlotte. Home Sweet Home: Overall, the Catfish are 9-23 on the road in 2005 after two straight wins while they sport a 16-14 record at Golden Park. The Fish did win their first road series of 2005 last week when they beat the Greenville Bombers in three out of four games. The Fish have hit the ball better at home, posting a .285 home batting average with an average of 5.00 runs per game while hitting just .225 on the road and averaging just 3.47 runs per game. The next three games are road contests as the Catfish are in the midst of an eight-game roadtrip to North Carolina (Greensboro, Kannapolis). The Fish return home for a seven-game road trip starting on Thursday with four games against the Rome Braves. Hitting Notes: The Catfish have a team batting average of .254 (9th in the SAL) but are 12th in the SAL in runs with 261. The Catfish have hit 36 HR, ninth in the league. 1B Dan Batz and RF Ryan Russ co-lead the team with a .276 average and not far behind is CF Jamie Hoffmann at .272. Hoffmann leads the club with 67 hits. 3B Blake DeWitt leads the team with 37 RBI. 2B Travis Denker's 8th HR of the season on Saturday gives him the team lead in round-trippers. Pitching Notes: The Catfish team ERA stands now at 3.80 after 62 games (8th SAL). The staff has thrown 17.2 consecutive scoreless innings after allowing a run with one out in the first against Greensboro on Friday. Last night's shutout was the fifth of the season for Columbus. While the Catfish had the league's highest ERA as recently as May 2nd, the team's pitching staff has done its part over the last month to keep the club competitive. The drive in lowering team ERA has been led by starting pitching. RHP Blake Johnson has given up just four earned runs in his last seven starts. LHP Carlos Alvarez leads the pitching staff out of the bullpen with a 0.57 ERA, having allowed just two earned runs in 32 innings. RHP Albenis Castillo has pitched well out of the bullpen lately and leads the team in saves with four.

Team Defense: The Catfish have committed 85 errors in 62 games this season. The Catfish committed one error last night in their 3-0 win.

Blake DeWitt: 3B Blake DeWitt hit for the cycle last Sunday in four AB with a double in the 1st inning, a HR in the 3rd, a single in the 5th inning, and a triple in the 6th. DeWitt's cycle is only the second in the 121-year history of professional baseball in Columbus, GA. The last time it was done was 43 years ago when Bill Daley of the Columbus Cardinals accomplished the feat (thanks to Cecil Darby for the note). Sunday, DeWitt finished 4-4 with a 2B, 3B, HR, BB, and 4 RBI. He was named MinorLeagueBaseball.com's "Star of the Day." DeWitt leads the club with 37 RBI and 16 doubles, and is and third with 6 HR.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from June 12, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central