Game Notes (May 30)
May 30, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release
The Power opens up a four-game series against the Asheville Tourists Thursday evening at McCormick Field, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. RHP Clay Chandler (4-2, 3.22 ERA) takes the mound for West Virginia.
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POWER STUNS LEGENDS AGAIN IN OPENER: Down 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth with just one hit to their credit, West Virginia surged back once again against the Lexington Legends. Jarred Kelenic got the rally going with a solo shot to right for his 11th home run of the season. Onil Pena followed with a base hit to center before Bobby Honeyman pushed him to third with a ripped double to right. After J.R. Davis was hit by a pitch, Kyle Hinton replaced starter Jonathan Bowlan and struck out Jake Anchia for the second out of the inning. However, Joseph Rosa delivered on an 0-2 pitch, stroking a two-run single to left-center that tied the game at four. After David Ellingson fired a 1-2-3 perfect seventh inning, Ryan Ramiz worked a one-out walk to ignite another rally. Kelenic singled him to third, and Pena lofted a fly ball just deep enough to left to score him for West Virginia's second straight walk-off win, 5-4. In the win, Steven Moyers picked up his team-leading sixth quality start, firing six innings while allowing three earned runs and fanning three.
WEST VIRGINIA ONE-HIT IN TWIN BILL FINALE: Austin Cox dominated the Power's offense in game two, taking a no-hitter through 6.1 innings before Davis smoked a single to right in the bottom of the seventh to break it up, but Lexington claimed the series finale, 3-0, Tuesday evening at Appalachian Power Park. Cox kept West Virginia at bay the entire night, at one point retiring 16 batters in a row and ultimately allowing just three baserunners on the hill (Kelenic on a first-inning fielding error and Charlie McConnell on a sixth-inning walk). In the loss, Josias De Los Santos delivered his best start of the season, hurling four scoreless frames and giving up just two hits over 45 pitches. Lexington scored all three of its runs off Deivy Florido, with newcomer Kyle Kasser lacing a fifth-inning RBI single and Chase Vallot launching a two-run homer to left in the sixth.
HOMER HAPPY AT HOME: With Kelenic's homer Monday evening, West Virginia now has 31 homers in 27 home games this season, second-most in the South Atlantic League (Hickory Crawdads, 39). The Power's 44 overall dingers are third-most in the league behind Hickory (57) and the Greensboro Grasshoppers (59). Kelenic connected for his fourth homer of the homestand, as well as went yard in back-to-back games for the third time this season (April 26-27 vs. ASH and May 21-22 vs. GBO). The Power had at least one home run in six of the eight games during this past homestand.
SWEET AS HONEY: Honeyman has really caught fire of late, hitting safely in 13 of his last 15 games (May 13-present). He is averaging .321 (18-for-56) with five RBI and 11 runs in that span. Honeyman went 8-for-24 (.333) with three RBI and six runs scored in the Power's most recent home stretch, the most hits and RBI he has had in a homestand this season.
KELENIC PROMOTED TO MODESTO: Following Tuesday's doubleheader with Lexington, the Seattle Mariners announced that Kelenic had been promoted to High-A Modesto. The Mariners' second-best prospect leaves the South Atlantic League with a .309 average (7th), 11 homers (5th) and 29 RBI (11th), all amongst the league's best marks. Kelenic reached base safely in 44 of his 50 games with the Power, including 26 straight from April 10-May 9, the second-longest streak in the SAL this year (Trey Harris, Rome, 28 games). The Wisconsin native wrapped up his time in Charleston by boasting a four-homer, six-RBI homestand against Greensboro and Lexington, the most home runs and runs batted in he has had in any home stretch this season. Kelenic will make his High-A debut tonight against Visalia.
HELLO KEEGAN: In a corresponding move, outfielder Keegan McGovern has been activated from Modesto's injured list and transferred to West Virginia. A ninth-round pick out of the University of Georgia, McGovern split his inaugural pro season between Short-Season Everett and Low-A Clinton, boasting a .271 clip with 15 homers and 46 RBI. Despite making a June debut in the Midwest League, the Willacoochee, Ga., native led the circuit in long balls after his arrival and garnered a Midwest League Player of the Week award in late July after stroking a .429 clip with eight RBI.
FINDING HIS PLACE: De Los Santos has really settled in nicely with West Virginia after a rocky start in the rotation. The Dominican native struggled in his first three starts, ceding 10 earned runs across 12.1 innings (7.30 ERA). Following a move to the bullpen, the 19-year-old slotted in back-to-back four-inning, one-run relief stints before his sterling performance Tuesday night. Over his last three games, De Los Santos has coughed up just seven hits while fanning nine.
ONE-HIT WONDER: Cox and Josh Dye held the Power to one hit in game two of the doubleheader. West Virginia had not been limited to one hit in more than two years, with the last time coming in the 2017 season opener against Rome April 7, also a 3-0 loss, in game one of a twin bill.
POWER POINT: Rosa snagged his first three-bagger of the year in game one Tuesday, as well as his 19th career triple.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 30, 2019
- Encarnacion, 'Birds Pummel Drive in Opener - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Delmarva Tops Drive in Series Opener - Greenville Drive
- Fireflies Fall Short in Ninth After Taveras's Strong Start - Columbia Fireflies
- Stobbe Launches Two HRs, But Claws Fall 11-10 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Legends Can't Tame RiverDogs in Game One - Lexington Legends
- Tostado Leads GreenJackets Past Columbia - Augusta GreenJackets
- Beer City Tourists Come out Flat - Asheville Tourists
- Four-Run Fifth Guides Power to 8-3 Win in Opener - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Lockridge Slam, RiverDogs Bats Too Much for Legends in Road Trip Opener - Charleston RiverDogs
- Three Unearned Runs Give Suns 4-2 Win - Hagerstown Suns
- Fireflies Game Notes: May 30 vs. Augusta (Game 53) - Columbia Fireflies
- Hagerstown Suns Game Notes - Hagerstown Suns
- Faith & Family Night June 8th with Former Redskins Great, Gary Clark - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Game Notes (May 30) - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Kelenic Promoted to High-A Modesto - Charleston Dirty Birds
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