Game Notes, July 13 vs. Frisco
Published on July 13, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release
Frisco (9-10, 50-39) @ Corpus Christi (13-6, 50-39)
Trailing 4-0 and down to their last strike, the Hooks mustered a little magic last night with an improbable 8-7 walk-off victory over Frisco. Catcher Jay Fernandez fired up the rollercoaster by cuing a slow roller toward third base. Alex Buchholz charged the ball and made a barehanded pickup but his throw was late to first. Fernandez's gritty headlong dive across the bag came with the bases loaded and pushed Andy Simunic across home plate, snapping a spell of 17 consecutive scoreless innings for Corpus Christi. Austin Wates was next and hit a deep fly ball that bounced off the short fence in left-center, clearing the bases to tie the game. Pinch-runner Jordan Kreke just crossed the pay station before the final out was made on Wates trying to stretch his double into a triple.
Wates would not be retired in his next at-bat. Down 7-5 with two out and two on in the 11th, Wates crushed a 1-0 pitch from Tim Murphy onto the berm in left field, giving the Hooks their fifth walk-off triumph of the season.
The Hooks, who have won 12 of their last 14 at Whataburger Field, are now tied with Frisco for the best record in the Texas League. With San Antonio's loss to Midland last night, Corpus Christi draws even with the Missions for first place in the TL South second-half race.
Tonight's Matchup:
Jake Brigham (4-4, 4.28) vs. RHP Jake Buchanan (4-5, 5.02)
Brigham, a sixth-round pick of the Rangers in 2006 out of Central Florida Christian Academy, makes his 18th start this season and his fifth against the Hooks. Brigham earned the victory on Saturday vs. Springfield, scattering two runs and seven hits over five innings. He allowed one home run and walked five while striking out four. Brigham turned in a quality effort July 2 at Arkansas, tossing six innings of two-run ball. He struck out eight and walked one but was forced to settle for a no-decision. Brigham was tagged with the loss against Corpus Christi on June 23 at Dr Pepper Ballpark. The Hooks got to him for four runs on six hits and six walks over 6.1 innings. The effort capped a forgettable month of June when he went 1-2 with a 6.14 ERA in five starts. The Texas League All-Star was 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 10 starts over the first two months of the season. Brigham walked 16 and fanned 55 over 62.2 frames during that stretch. He currently ranks among the TL leaders in home runs allowed (17, 1st), strikeouts (98, 3rd) and innings pitched (103.0, 5th). Last year, Brigham went 6-6 with a 4.49 ERA in 35 games and 14 starts for Frisco. Added to the Rangers 40-man roster in November, Brigham missed the entire 2008 season after having "Tommy John" surgery.
- Holding Texas League hitters to a .253 average
- 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA, with 10 walks and 24 Ks in 27.0 IP vs. the Hooks
- Split '10 between Hickory & Bakersfield: 7-10 with a 4.69 ERA, tossing 2 CG, 1 SHO, 106 K, 50 BB
Buchanan, an eighth-round pick of the Astros in 2010 out of North Carolina State, makes his 18th start this season and his fourth opposite the RoughRiders. Buchanan settled for a no-decision on Saturday at Northwest Arkansas, holding the Naturals to three runs (one earned) on six hits over six innings. He walked one and fanned three as the Hooks went on to score seven times over the final four frames to win 7-3. On July 2 against Tulsa at Whataburger Field, Buchanan was unable to make it out of the fifth, allowing nine hits (1 HR) and three runs in 4.1 innings. Jonathan Villar's walk-off home run, a two-run shot to left of Coty Woods, gave the Hooks a 5-4 victory. Buchanan has struggled with consistency over the last two months, going 3-5 with a 5.60 ERA thru 11 starts. He pitched well in April, posting a 1-0 record and 4.13 ERA, striking out 20 against 5 walks in 24.0 innings. In 25 starts last season for Lancaster in the California League, Buchanan was 5-10 with a 3.91 ERA. He struck out 102 batters and walked 35 over 158.2 frames. Selected as the Astros 2011 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Buchanan became the first Lancaster pitcher to start a minimum of 20 games and finish the season with an ERA under 4.00 since former Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb accomplished the feat in 2001 (28 starts, 3.99 ERA).
- 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 3 starts vs. Frisco (7.2-6-0-0-2-4 for "W" June 23 at Dr Pepper Ballpark)
- Has issued 2 or fewer walks in 14 of his 17 starts
- Went 8-6 with a 3.86 ERA in 18 appearances as a junior for the Wolfpack in 2010. (96 K/27 BB in 105 IP)
Twist of fate
After going 2-for-17 on the road trip with 11 strikeouts, Austin Wates buried all of his frustrations deep into the left-field berm. Wates' first professional walk-off home run gave him a club-record six RBIs in his final two at-bats. Brandon Barnes ('11), Drew Locke (twice in '09), Ole Sheldon ('08) and Mark Saccomanno ('05) are the other Hooks who have plated six runs in one game. The home run for Wates, who last left the park May 4 at Midland, was his first at Whataburger Field. Wates' previous career high for RBIs in one game was four achieved three times during his MVP campaign with Lancaster last season.
Extra, extra
Last night's 3 hour and 54 minute epic resulted in Corpus Christi's sixth extra-inning victory this season. The Hooks' 6-2 mark when going past the ninth is tied with Northwest Arkansas for the best record in the Texas League. CC has outscored the opposition 26-7 during "extra time" this season. The Hooks need three more wins to equal the club record set by the 2006 and 2007 squads which both went 9-3 whilst playing free baseball.
Walk it off
Wates' three-run blast is the fourth walk-off home run by a Hook this year, a franchise-best for one season. No. 17 in club history gave Corpus Christi its third win in 39 games when trailing after eight innings. Greg Rajan of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times presents this comprehensive list of Hooks walk-off home runs:
DATE PLAYER OPPONENT SCORE
6/4/05 Hector Gimenez Tulsa 3-2
8/7/05 Charlton Jimerson Tulsa 4-3 (12)
9/4/05 Hector Gimenez San Antonio 3-0 (11)
6/23/06 Hunter Pence Arkansas 7-5 (12)
7/9/06 Mark Saccomanno Frisco 4-2 (10)
8/16/06 Josh Bonifay Tulsa 7-6 (10)
7/17/07 Francisco Caraballo Midland 10-8
7/18/07 Ray Sadler Midland 6-3
7/29/08 Billy Hart San Antonio 6-5 (10)
8/26/09 Collin DeLome Midland 6-5
6/7/10 T.J. Steele Arkansas 4-3
6/1/11 Jonathan Villar Springfield 6-5
6/26/11 T.J. Steele Frisco 4-3
4/9/12 Jake Goebbert Tulsa 7-4
5/26/12 Jonathan Villar Springfield 6-5
7/2/12 Jonathan Villar Tulsa 5-4
7/11/12 Austin Wates Frisco 8-7 (11)
Hang with 'em
Hooks starter Ross Seaton tossed seven innings of two-run ball last night, marking the fifth quality start over his last six appearances. He has pitched at least seven innings while allowing two runs or fewer in those five performances, posting an ERA of 2.35 (11 ER/42.0 IP). Seaton has lowered his season ERA from 4.28 to 3.54 which ranks 10th in the league. The Houston native has struck out 31 against six walks during this stretch but only has a 1-2 record and three no-decisions to show for it. Corpus Christi has scored just eight times in the last six games with Seaton on the mound, averaging 1.3 runs per outing.
Pitching Rotation vs. Frisco
Saturday: RHP Barret Loux (12-1, 3.61) vs. LHP Rob Rasmussen (0-0, 3.60)
Sunday: RHP Cody Buckel (1-3, 3.22) vs. TBA
HOOKS PLAYER NOTES
Adam Bailey
- 1-6 on the road trip with 1 RBI (PH RBI single Monday night)
- 2-16 in last 9 games with 2 RBIs
- Has 3 RBIs in last 17 games
- Batting .209(14-67) vs. RHP; .267(4-15) vs. LHP: .235(4-17) w/RISP
- Added to roster May 30 from Advanced-A Lancaster
- In 47 games with the JetHawks was batting .279-8-25 with 2 SBs
- In 23 games at the end of last season with the Hooks hit .323-3-15
Jay Fernandez
- Hits in 6 straight & 15 of the last 19 G, 21-68 (.309) w/ 4 2B, 4 HR, 13 R & 15 RBIs
- 5-13 on the road trip with 3 R, 2 HR and 5 RBIs
- Selected Texas League Player of the Week June 11-17, hit .524-1-5 w/ 3 doubles
- Now has 6 games experience at 3B in his 9-year career
- Batting .218(19-87) vs. RHP; .353(12-34) vs. LHP; .275(11-40) w/RISP
- Has a career caught-stealing percentage of 39.9 (169 of 424)
- In 8 seasons in the Mariners and Twins systems hit .244-16-162 in 439 games
Jacob Goebbert
- 2-11 on the road trip with 4 R, 1 HR and 4 BB
- HR Monday night at Tulsa was his first since May 16
- Promoted to OKC on June 9...went 4-for-30 (.133) with 2 R, 1 2B and 1 RBI in 16 G
- Hits in 16 of last 21 w/ CC, 23-75 (.282) w/ 1 HR, 14 BB, 5 2B, 13 R & 5 RBIs
- His walk-off, 3-run HR April 9 the first walk-off HR in his pro career
- Named Texas League Co-Player of the Week (April 5-15), hit .429
- Batting .230(40-174) vs. RHP; .407(22-54) vs. LHP; .283(15-53) w/RISP
Kody Hinze
- 2-13 on the road trip with 1 R, 1 2B and 2 RBIs
- Hits in 9 of the last 15 games, 13-56 (.218) with 2 2B, 7 BB, 3 HRs, 8 R and 11 RBIs
- Hit .306 (22-72) in June with 2 doubles, 5 HRs, 10 runs and 17 RBIs
- Batting .262(28-107) at home; .195(23-118) on the road
- Batting .202(33-163) vs. RHP; .290(18-62) vs. LHP; .197(14-71) w/RISP
- Ranked 4th last year in the minors in walks (94) and 15th in OPS (.961)
Jordan Kreke
- Hits in 7 of last 10 games with CC: 10-36 (.277) 3 R, 2 2B and 1 RBI
- Called up to the RedHawks in mid-June
- 6-27 in 13 games for OKC with 4 R, 2 2B, and 2 RBIs
- Batting .246(14-57) at home; .190(8-42) on the road
- Batting .247(20-81) vs. RHP; .111(2-18) vs. LHP; .115(3-26) w/RISP
- Originally a 13th-round pick of the Braves in 2009
Drew Locke
- 10-23 (.435) on the road trip with 2 2B, 1 HR and 6 RBIs
- Has hit safely in 5 of last 7: 11-31 (.355), 1 HR, 2 2B, 5 R & 7 RBIs
- .295-3-14 in 12 G at home | .240 -2-9 in 17 G on the road
- Hit safely in first 5 games with the Hooks: 8-21 (.381) with 3 HRs & 12 RBIs
- Tied with Mark Saccomanno (05-06) for franchise lead with 4 career grand slams
- Had played 40 games this season for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters, where he was batting .285(47x165) with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HRs, 28 runs and 24 RBIs
- Was the Texas League's batting champion with the Hooks in 2009 (.338)
- Holds franchise single-season records for average (.338) and RBIs (109)
Jose Martinez
- Hits 4 of 5 games since 5-day hiatus (knee): 7-24 with 3 R, 2 2B, 3B, HR & 8 RBIs
- Hits in 27 of his last 31 games, 45-137 (.328) w/ 7 2Bs, 5 HRs, 23 runs and 32 RBIs
- 4th in the TL in AVG (.309) & RBIs (62), 2nd in PA/K (11.67), 3rd in hits (98)
- Reached base safely in 23 consecutive games (May 4-28) w/.352 avg. and .402 OBP
- CC's defensive player of the month in April (47 PO, 56 A, 0 E)
- Batting .295(71-241) vs. RHP; .355(27-76) vs. LHP; .393(37-98) w/RISP
Drew Muren
- Has a 5-game hit streak, 8-19 with 4 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR & 3 RBIs
- Has hit safely in 19 of his 23 games with the Hooks
- Added to roster June 13 from Class A Lexington
- In 48 games with the Legends batted .279-3-17 with 12 doubles and 4 SBs
- Batting .382(21-55) vs. RHP; .269(7-26) vs. LHP; .167(3-18) w/RISP
- A 22nd-round pick of the Astros last June out of Cal State-Northridge
Andy Simunic
- Has hits in 7 straight: 12-28 (.458) with 10 R, 1 2B and 2 RBIs
- Has hit in 27 of last 32 games, 44-138 (.319) with 23 R, 5 2B & 10 RBIs
- Rejoined Hooks June 14 from AAA Oklahoma City, where he was 0-9 in 8 games
- Hit .391 with 4 doubles and 7 RBIs during 16 games in June
- 3rd in the league in hitting (.310)
- Batting .305(61-200) vs. RHP; .327(18-55) vs. LHP; .229(16-70) w/RISP
- In five pro seasons has bounced into just 13 DPs in 1,440 plate appearances
- Finished last year at Lancaster: .295-5-28 in 67 games
Jon Singleton
- 7-for-17 last week w/ 3 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs & 4 BB to earn TL POW honors
- 3-4 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI in Sunday's Futures Game
- Tied for 2nd in the league in runs (57), 3rd in walks (60) & T-5th in RBIs (49)
- .148-1-6 with 4 2B and 20 BB thru 25 games in June
- Named the Texas League's Player of the Week (May 21-27), hit .500-4-12
- CC's offensive player of the month in May (.281-7-24, .931 OPS)
- Batting .284(58-204) vs. RHP; .229(19-83) vs. LHP; .326(28-86) w/RISP
- Hitting .291(60-206) when he starts at 1B (60); .183(11-60) when he starts in LF(16)
- Batted .350 with 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR 13 RBIs, 12 walks, 16 Ks thru 22 G in April
Jonathan Villar
- Has hit safely in 3 of 4 games, 4-15 with 1 2B, 1 HR & 2 RBIs
- 6-22 on the road trip with 5 R, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBIs & 7 BB
- Hits in 17 of his last 23, 24-95 with 14 walks, 3 doubles, 6 HRs, 15 runs and 20 RBIs
- CC's offensive player of the month in June, .292-5-20
- Leads the league with 38 stolen bases
- Tied franchise record with 4 steals June 9 vs. Midland
- Has hit two walk-off home runs this season, three in tenure with club
- .207-0-7 in April | .280 (66x236) with 10 HR, 41 RBIs & 29 walks since
- Batting .263(62-236) vs. RHP; .268(22-82) vs. LHP; .299(26-87) w/RISP
- Ranked by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in the Astros system
Chris Wallace
- Has hits in 4 straight, 7-12 with 2 R and 1 BB
- 3-for-3 June 22 at FRI with 4 R, 1 2B, 1 HR & 3 RBIs
- Has hits in 6 of last 9, 11-25 with 7 R, 2 2B & 4 RBIs
- Batting .226(24-106) vs. RHP; .263(10-38) vs. LHP; .233(10-43) w/RISP
- His HR (20) and RBI (78) totals ranked third among Houston farmhands last year
Austin Wates
- Hit his first walk-off HR as a pro last night (first HR since May 4 at MID)
- 4th player in Hooks history to drive in six RBIs in one game
- 2-17 on the road trip with 11 Ks
- Activated following the all-star break after a 15-day stint on DL (left quad)
- Hits in 13 of his last 22 games, 21-71 (.296) w/ 7 BB, 3 2B, 7 R, 1 HR & 11 RBIs
- Struck out 5 times last Thursday at NWA - a career and franchise high
- Batting .305(60-197) vs. RHP; .262(17-65) vs. LHP; .333(19-57) w/RISP
- Named Lancaster's MVP in 2011, led the JetHawks in 8 statistical categories
Brandon Wikoff
- 1-30 in last 10 games
- Joined club 5/28 from extended, where he'd been recovering from a left wrist injury
- In 103 games last year with the Hooks batted .308 w/ 6 doubles, 3 HRs and 26 RBIs
- Was the Texas League's Player of the Week (April 25-May 1, 2011), hit .600
- Maintained an average of .400 or better from April 25 thru June 6 last year
- Finished last season with four September games w/ OKC (.154-0-0)
Texas League Stories from July 13, 2012
- San Antonio Suffers Eighth Scoreless Game this Season - San Antonio Missions
- Cardinals Win on Walk off Walk - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Hooks' Bats Haunt 'Riders - Frisco RoughRiders
- Schugel and Company Blank Drillers - Arkansas Travelers
- Game Notes, July 13 vs. Frisco - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Royals Farm Report - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Longballs Lift Travs to 7-5 Win - Arkansas Travelers
- Hooks' Walk-Off Ends Wild Night - Frisco RoughRiders
- Missions' Comeback Comes Up Short - San Antonio Missions
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