Gnats Eliminate Tourists with 5-1 Win Sunday
September 5, 2010 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
SAVANNAH, GA - The Savannah Sand Gnats eliminated the Asheville Tourists from playoff contention with a 5-1 victory at Historic Grayson Stadium on Sunday night. The first half champion Gnats (32-36/74-64) have now won eight of their last ten games.
With the Tourists' loss Sunday, the Greenville Drive clinched the second half championship. The Gnats will open the 2010 Playoffs, presented by the Tate Law Group, in Greenville on Wednesday night before returning home for game two on Friday, September 10 and game three, if necessary, on Saturday September 11. Tate Law Group will present a Vuvuzela horn giveaway on Friday, the 10th.
Down 1-0, the Gnats scored five unanswered runs Sunday. Savannah loaded the bases in the fourth inning and tied the game at 1-1 on a sacrifice fly from 2B Jet Butler. Savannah took a 2-1 in the sixth. With one out, 1B Travis Ozga walked, stole second, and came home on C Juan Torres' bloop single along the right-field line for the 2-1 lead. In the eighth inning, DH Robbie Shields doubled, Ozga reached on an error and with first base open, the Tourists elected to walk 3B Aderlin Rodriguez to face Torres. Torres swung at the first pitch and lined a two run single into right-center to put Savannah ahead 4-1. Rodriguez scored the final Sand Gnats' run on a wild pitch and a throwing error to make it 5-1.
Shields finished 2-4 with a double and two runs scored to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Torres was 2-3 with a walk and three RBI.
Savannah starter Darin Gorski (6-8, 4.58) gave up one run on seven hits in six innings, striking out a career-high eight batters to earn his sixth win. The Gnats' bullpen of Gabriel Zavala, Josh Edgin and Brandon Sage struck out seven batters without issuing a walk in three scoreless innings to finish the game.
The Gnats conclude the 2010 regular season with a Labor Day Matinee at 12 pm when they will send RHP Collin McHugh (6-8, 3.46) to the mound against RHP Juan Gonzalez (3-7, 4.62). Gates will open at 11 am. The radio pregame show on sandgnats.com will begin at 11:55.
Labor Day Dollar Monday Matinee
Coupons for $1 General Admission tickets are available in local Food Lion locations, in the Savannah Morning News, online at savannahnow.com, wsav.com, E93FM.com and to the Sand Gnats' Facebook friends. Hot dogs, small beers and sodas and chips will all be $1 at the game.
South Atlantic League Stories from September 5, 2010
- Crawdads Stop Drive with 4-3 Win - Hickory Crawdads
- Vargas Drives in Three, Leads Intimidators to 4-2 Win - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Gnats Eliminate Tourists with 5-1 Win Sunday - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Vargas Singles Intimidators to Win in 10th 4-2 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Drive Clinch 2nd Half Southern Division Title - Greenville Drive
- Power Lifted by Walk-Off Homer in Extra Frame - Hagerstown Suns
- Shriner Home Run Powers GreenJackets to 3-2 Win - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Dogs Score Early, Not Often, in 3-2 Victory Over Greensboro - Charleston RiverDogs
- Power Short Circuit Hagerstown 4-3 on Sunday - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Ninth Inning Homer Seals Third Straight Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Legends Top Braves 9-3 as Goebbert Breaks RBI Mark - Lexington Legends
- Marshall Promoted to Tampa; Martinez Transferred to Charleston - Charleston RiverDogs
- Gnats Game Notes: Sunday, September 5 Vs. Asheville - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Keep Celebrating After the Season with the RiverDogs - Charleston RiverDogs
- Shorebirds Game Notes - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Suns See Power Outage, Shut out in Game 2 - Hagerstown Suns
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
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