Garcia, Pope lift Sox past Saints 12-4

Published on May 31, 2011 under American Association (AA)
Amarillo ThunderHeads News Release


AMARILLO, TX - Amarillo Sox starter Justin Garcia struck out seven St. Paul Saint batters, while Sox third baseman Van Pope went 3-4 with four RBI as the Sox defeated the Saints 12-4 on Tuesday night in front of 1,873 fans at the Amarillo National Bank Sox Stadium.

Garcia (2-1) allowed all three runs in the first inning, but rebounded nicely to receive the win. Saints starter Kyle Zaleski (1-1) got the loss, allowing nine runs, though only three were earned in four innings pitched.

The Saints took an early lead as Jason Cooper singled to score Adam Frost, while Ronnie Bourquin doubled to score Justin Snyder and Cooper for a three-run St. Paul lead. Amarillo cut the lead to one in the bottom half of the first as Fehlandt Lentini walked and Cyle Hankerd hit a two-run homerun for a 3-2 deficit.

The Sox tied the game in the third as Lentini reached second on an error. Following a two-out intentional walk to Lee Cruz, Benji Johnson doubled down the left field line to score Lentini to tie the game. Van Pope stepped in a singled through the left side of the infield to score both runners which gave the Sox the lead. Adam De La Garza added a two-RBI triple to cap the inning and to cement Amarillo's lead at 7-3.

The Sox added two more runs in the fourth on three walks and an error, while Hankerd and Cruz both hit RBI doubles in the fifth for an 11-3 Amarillo lead.

St. Paul's Jonathan Van Every hit a leadoff homerun in the eighth inning off reliever Lee Henry, but no other runs were plated to limit the scoring to one. Pope responded with a one-out solo homerun of his own in the bottom of the eighth to move the lead back up to eight.

Amarillo reliever Pat Overholt shut the door on the Saints in the ninth to preserve the victory 12-4.

With the win, the Sox improve to 7-10 while the Saints fall to 11-6. On Wednesday, Amarillo will take on St. Paul for the third game of a four-game set at 7:05pm, with the Aqua One Pre-Game Show set to begin at 6:50pm on Ustream, via www.amarillosox.com. Game time is tentative and is subject to blackout.

Season tickets are available for purchase in-person by visiting the Sox Front Offices at 801 S. Polk or over the phone by calling (806) 242-4653. For more information on tickets, game times and schedules, promotions, marketing opportunities, and everything else Sox, visit the "Official Website of the Amarillo Sox" at www.amarillosox.com.

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