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NYPL Norwich Sea Unicorns

Garcia Plates All Three Runs as CT Tigers Top Spikes

July 25, 2018 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Norwich Sea Unicorns News Release


NORWICH, Ct. - Alexis Garcia drove in all three runs for the Connecticut Tigers (19-17) and Jordan Verdon broke up a no-hitter by the State College Spikes (14-23) with two outs in the seventh inning as the Tigers recorded their first shutout win of the year in a 3-0 decision on Wednesday at Dodd Stadium.

The Tigers took the lead for good in the sixth inning without a base hit. Tigers right fielder Dayton Dugas drew a walk after a dropped foul popup error and reached third base following a stolen base and a passed ball. Garcia tallied the first of his three runs batted in with a sacrifice fly to left field against Spikes reliever Hector Villalobos (Loss, 1-1) that gave Connecticut a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers went hitless into the seventh inning. State College starter Michael Baird left the no-hitter after five innings and allowed one baserunner on a third-inning walk by Clark Brinkman. Baird struck out six Tigers and handed the no-no to Villalobos in the sixth. Verdon recorded the first Connecticut hit on a broken-bat single to center against Edgar Gonzalez with two outs in the seventh.

In his third start with Connecticut, Chance Kirby (Win, 2-1) stranded a pair of Spikes in the first inning and motored through the next five frames with a total of six strikeouts. The University of Texas at San Antonio alum faced the minimum number of batters from the second through sixth innings, allowed two hits, walked one, and pushed his season tally to 18 strikeouts in 17 innings.

Garcia added insurance runs for the Tigers in the eighth on a two-out, two-run double to left-center field that scored Dugas from third base and Brinkman from first. Dugas led the Tigers with two runs scored as the Tigers moved their record to two games over .500, matching their previous high after a 2-0 start.

Dylan Stock (Hold, 1) and Ethan DeCaster (Save, 1) combined for three hitless innings of relief to complete the first Tigers shutout win in 2018. With two perfect innings, DeCaster lowered his team-best earned run average to 0.61 in 12 2/3 innings. The game began at 11:07 a.m. on Camp Day at Dodd.

On Thursday, the Tigers go for a three-game sweep of the Spikes beginning at 7:05 p.m. on Throwback Thursday. The Tigers will wear Norwich Navigators uniforms as a tribute to the Dodd Stadium Double-A tenant from 1995 to 2005. It's also Mustache Appreciation Night and the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Mustache Appreciation Bobblehead as a tribute to the most famous mustache in television history (with a Detroit Tigers connection).

Connecticut right-handed pitcher Carlos Guzman (1-1, 4.37) draws the start against State College lefty Jacob Schlesener (0-3, 6.39) on Thursday. Coverage on the Norwich Courtyard by Marriott Connecticut Tigers Radio Network begins with Kevin Gehl and Elijah Gonzalez at 6:50 p.m. on WICH 1310 AM across Connecticut and online at CTTigers.com via TuneIn Radio.

The Connecticut Tigers are the New York-Penn League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Connecticut. Individual tickets for all 2018 home games, season memberships to "The Club," ticket mini-plans, and Tigers team merchandise are now on sale at Dodd Stadium, over the phone at 860-887-7962, and online at CTTigers.com.

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