Defenders 11 Hits Help Top Phillies
May 10, 2007 - Eastern League (EL1)
Connecticut Defenders News Release
After dropping a heartbreaker in the series final against the Fisher Cats on Wednesday afternoon. The Defenders would return back home to Norwich to begin a four game set with the Reading Phillies. The Defenders were looking to carry over the energy from the previous game and turn that into production on Thursday evening. The team would be successful in doing so, getting a solid performance on the mound from LHP Geno Espineli, leading to a 5-2 victory over the Phillies at Dodd Stadium.
The Defenders jumped on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. 2B Jake Wald and OF Brian Horwitz would lead off with back-to-back singles. Both runners would come around to score in the inning to stake the Defenders to an early 2-0 lead. In the top of the second, the Phillies would get one back. After Espineli retired the first two batters in order, he'd surrender a double to left field to OF Matt Padgett. 3B Jesus Merchan would follow with an RBI single on a line drive to center field to cut the Defenders lead to 2-1.
In the bottom of the third inning the Defenders would tack on another run. Wald and Horwitz would again hit back-to-back singles to get things rolling. With runners at the corners, OF John Bowker would drive a sac fly to deep center field to drive in Wald and extend the Defenders lead 3-1. In the top of the fourth the Phillies got a 1-out walk from OF Pedro Swann. The 36-year-old would steal second base and come around to score on an error by Geno Espineli throwing to first in an attempt to retire C Jason Hill with 2 outs. But the Defenders would strike back again in the bottom of the inning. After a 1-out triple by OF Carlos Sosa, C Todd Jennings would step in and deliver a sac fly to left, scoring Sosa from third. That would extend the Defenders lead to 2 runs, 4-2.
Espineli left after pitching five innings of work and he'd be replaced by reliever Alex Hinshaw. Hinshaw would shut down the Phillies in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. He would not allow a run, scatter just 3 hits and strike out six batters in his 2.2 innings of work. The Defenders would add one more run in the bottom of the seventh inning. 1B Travis Ishikawa would hit an infield RBI single to score Wald from third to give the Defenders a 5-2 lead. That would hold up as Brian Anderson would strikeout 2 of the 4 batters he faced in the ninth, and retire SS Michael Garciaparra on a fly ball to center for the final out of the ball game.
Geno Espineli (W, 2-1) took home the victory after pitching 5 innings, surrendering 2 runs (1 earned), 3 hits, 2 walks and striking out 4 batters. Brian Anderson (S, 5) collected his fifth save of the season after 1.1 innings of scoreless work with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. Kyle Kendrick (L, 2-4) would take the loss pitching 6 innings, giving up 4 runs (3 earned), on 9 hits and striking out 5 batters. Jake Wald had a multi-hit game with a 3 for 5 evening.
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