Five-Run Ninth Propels Cats

July 7, 2012 - North American League (NAmL)
Abilene Prairie Dogs News Release


ABILENE, TX - It's the type of matchup that draws you to the ballpark. It's the type of matchup that keeps you fixated on action in the late innings. And on Friday, it was the type of matchup that put the Dogs behind for good as Fort Worth won at Walt Driggers' Field for the second straight night, 13-8.

With the game tied at eight and two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Randall Thorpe stood at third base and Brandon Jones, the most powerful hitter in the Cats lineup, stood in the right-handed batters box. Jones' seven home runs trail only Joe Weik for the League lead, and it was his home run in the fourth inning on Tuesday that lifted Fort Worth to one-run victory over Rio Grande Valley.

Staring down the dangerous power hitter was Abilene's 6'4", 250 lbs closer Ray Silva. The righty from California is regularly in the lower 90s with his fastball and the pair of power athletes were set for a collision in the game's biggest moment on Friday night.

Silva quickly jumped ahead of Jones 0-2, but the third baseman fouled off a series of pitches to fight back into the at-bat. And as the big closer tried to end the inning with an inside fastball, it was Jones who won out as he turned on the heater and smoked a towering double over Jason Martin's head in centerfield to score the go-ahead run and burry the Dogs on their home field.

The Cats would go on to score four more runs in the inning and cruise to a five-run victory.

It was the second five-run inning of the night for Fort Worth who capitalized on an error by first baseman Joe Weik and another miscue by the pitcher Jeremy Tietze to register five unearned runs in the top of the sixth. Chuck Caufield had the big two-run single in the inning that saw 10 Cats come to the plate.

The Dogs fell behind in what turned out to be a wild game when Jones began the scoring with a two-run double in the top of the second off Abilene starter Braden Tullis. Scott Dalrymple then recorded an R.B.I. groundout to help the visitors snatch a 3-0 early lead.

The Dogs cut the deficit to a run with a pair of third inning tallies and eventually took the lead in the fifth on an R.B.I. single from Danny Gonzalez who was signed on Friday afternoon.

Abilene again clawed back to tie the game by answering the Colts five-run sixth with a four-run sixth of their own to knot the game at eight.

The Prairie Dogs used six pitchers but it was Brandon Wilkerson who captured his fourth win of the season for the Cats.

The teams will continue the 11-game series when they shift back to Fort Worth for a 7:05 first pitch on Saturday night. Hear the game on 106.9 KLGD or on the internet at abileneprairiedogs.com beginning with the pregame show at 6:55.



North American League Stories from July 7, 2012


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