EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Flying Squirrels Game Notes: vs. Bowie

Published on April 10, 2015 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


SERIES AT A GLANCE: The Baysox will be looking to level the series in game two after the Squirrels scored a season-opening 14-inning walk-off win at The Diamond on Thursday night. Kelby Tomlinson was the hero for Richmond, delivering the game-winner with a push-bunt single that scored Rando Moreno in the bottom of the 14th inning. It marked the third hit of the night for Tomlinson (3-for-5), who also knocked in two runs in the win. Bowie will turn to Orioles' system newcomer Elih Villanueva in game two tonight, while the Squirrels will send two-time reigning Squirrels Pitcher of the Year Jack Snodgrass. It will mark the season debuts for both hurlers.

I'LL HAVE A DOUBLE BIG MAC...WITH CHEESE: OF Mac Williamson began to make up for lost time in his Double-A debut on Thursday night. The Giants' #11 prospect according to Baseball America connected for a double in each of his first two at-bats, both off of lefty Tim Berry, and reached base on four occasions (BB, HBP). Williamson was expected to be with the Squirrels in 2014, but missed the majority of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON...AND ON AND ON: The Flying Squirrels 14-inning victory over Bowie in the season-openers for both teams, marked the longest season-opener in Richmond franchise history for both innings (14) and game time (4:47). The game was easily the lengthiest in terms of innings, as Richmond had never before played extra frames on opening day. It also breezed past the longest prior opening day game, which lasted 2:53 in 2010, also against Bowie at Prince George's Stadium. That game, did however spread over two days, as it was suspended due to rain and completed the next day. The Baysox were also the opponent for what still stands as the longest game in franchise history. That game occurred on April 30th, 2011, when the Baysox defeated the Squirrels, 3-2, in 18 innings. That ballgame lasted 5:27 and was finally ended current Baltimore Orioles' catcher Caleb Joseph blasted a walk-off solo-home run off of former Richmond lefty David Quinowski.

HEY, YOU LOOK FAMILIAR: Of the 28 players (3 DL) on the Squirrels opening day roster, a team-record 21 have previously spent time in Richmond. However, three of those 21 (OF Daniel Carbonell, RHP Tyler Rogers, 3B Mitch Delfino) had never appeared in a regular season game for Richmond prior to Thursday's season-opener, having joined the team only for the post-season last year. C Eliezer Zambrano has become more than a familiar face at The Diamond, he has become a mainstay. Zambrano remains the only player in team history to have appeared on the roster of the Squirrels in each of their six seasons. In fact, no other player has been a member of more than four. Zambrano is one of two players on this year's roster that were inaugural members of the team. Both are catchers. Jackson Williams also returns to the Giants' organization and the River City. Williams was the primary catcher in Richmond in both 2010 and 2011. In 2010, he was part of a group of eight players that then manager Andy Skeels compared to the famed "Great Eight" of the Richmond Braves. Williams reached the major leagues with the Colorado Rockies in 2014.

BEATING DOWN THE GATES: The Flying Squirrels extended their streak of home-opening sellouts to six - every year of their existence - with a capacity crowd of 9,560 on Thursday night. They are the only club in the Eastern League that has sold out their first game in each of those seasons. Since their inception in 2010, the Flying Squirrels have been the top draw in the Eastern League in both average and overall attendance. In five seasons, the Flying Squirrels have logged 338 home dates at The Diamond, averaging a league-best 6,516 fans per opening. The team has lost 17 dates due to weather. The attendance title chase has really only involved two teams in that time, with the Flying Squirrels and Reading Phillies/Fightin' Phils placing 1-2 in each of the five years. In that span, the Flying Squirrels have welcomed 2,202,280 fans through the Squirrely Gates, topping Reading's mark of 2,170,638. That is despite the fact that Reading has only lost 14 dates in that time, hosting 341 openings for an average of 6,366. Additionally, in each season their parent club has won the World Series (2010, 2012, 2014), the Squirrels have claimed the overall EL attendance crown. They have also won three average attendance titles in that time (2010, 2013, 2014). The Flying Squirrels enter 2015 defending a sweep of both categories, an achievement they accomplished for the second time in franchise history (2010). In their five years of existence, the Flying Squirrels have never finished lower than second in the Eastern League, and third in all of Double-A baseball (Frisco), in either overall or average attendance. The club's franchise attendance records were established in 2010 and 2013 respectively. The overall mark was established in their inaugural season when 463,842 came to see the new team on the Boulevard. However, the average mark was set in 2013, when the team averaged 6,689 fans per opening (65 openings in 2013 due to 6 lost dates).

BOWIE STARTING PITCHER: RHP Elih Villanueva (0-0, ---)

Villanueva, 28, will make his Orioles' organizational debut tonight, after spending the first seven seasons of his professional career with the Florida/Miami Marlins organization. Tonight's outing will also mark the first time he has pitched below the Triple-A level since he was a member of the Jacksonville Suns Southern League championship team in 2010. However, that may be a season he wishes to remember, as he was named a Topps Double-A All-Star, as well as a mid-season and post-season Southern League All-Star. He has spent the last four season almost exclusively with the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA) in the Marlins' chain, making 95 appearances (79 starts) for New Orleans. Most recently, he posted a 10-10 record with a 4.47 ERA over 27 starts in 2014. He made one appearance in the big leagues for then Florida in 2011. He made his Major League debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 15th of that year, starting and lasting three innings. He surrendered eight runs on five hits, but did record two strikeouts, the first of which came at the expense of Shane Victorino. He was originally selected in the 27th round of the 2008 draft by the Marlins out of Florida State University. He also pitched for Miami-Dade Community College as an amateur. He was signed by the Orioles as a minor league free agent in the off-season.

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Eastern League Stories from April 10, 2015


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