Hawks Cool Whitecaps on Christmas in July

Published on July 27, 2013 under Midwest League (MWL1)
South Bend Silver Hawks News Release


The South Bend Silver Hawks took a 2-1 lead in the second inning which they never surrendered, hanging on for a 4-3 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps. Whitecaps center fielder Connor Harrell struck out on a filthy slider in the dirt from Hawks closer Enrique Burgos with the tying run at third to end the game.

West Michigan (49-54, 16-17) struck first in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, shortstop David Gonzalez walked to get the rally started. Hawks starting pitcher Kyle Schepel (4-1) struck out the next hitter but with two outs, left fielder Danry Vasquez hit a double to the right field wall that scored Gonzalez from first to give the Whitecaps a 1-0 lead.

South Bend (65-39, 21-14) made sure the lead did not hold up for even half an inning as the Hawks put up two runs in the bottom of the inning against Whitecaps starting pitcher Jordan John (6-4). Catcher Michael Perez led off with a ground ball double down the right field line. With one out, left fielder Alex Glenn grounded a single through the right side that advanced Perez to third. The throw came to the plate allowing Glenn to advance to second. Shortstop Pedro Ruiz tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right field with Glenn alertly taking third on the play as well. Second baseman Fidel Pena gave the Hawks the lead with a line drive single to left field that scored Ruiz for a 2-1 lead.

Schepel worked his way in and out of jams all night but kept the Whitecaps off of the board after the second inning. West Michigan, the Class-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, left the bases loaded in both the first and third innings against the Hawks starter. Schepel left the game after five innings of work with a 2-1 lead, having allowed just one run with two hits, six walks, and six strikeouts. Yoimer Camacho entered the game in relief of Schepel and pitched a scoreless sixth inning, retiring the bottom of the Whitecaps order on three consecutive groundouts to short.

South Bend, the Class-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, extended the lead to 4-1 by scoring two runs against Whitecaps reliever Jeff Thompson in the sixth inning. Designated hitter Brandon Drury led off the inning with a ringing double into the left field corner. First baseman Rudy Flores drove him in just two pitches later with a hard single to right field that gave the Hawks a 3-1 lead. After Thompson retired Hawks center fielder Breland Almadova for the first out of the inning, Perez blooped a single into short center field that put runners at first and second. Third baseman Carter Bell drove in the fourth run for the Silver Hawks with a fly ball double into the left-center field gap, scoring Flores for a 4-1 Hawks lead.

The Whitecaps inched a little closer in the top of the seventh against Camacho. With one out, second baseman Jared Reaves and right fielder Jeff Holm drew back-to-back walks. Third baseman Jason King cut the Hawks lead to 4-2 with a ground ball single through the right side that scored Reaves from second. Camacho then retired the next two hitters to keep the two-run lead intact going into the eighth.

West Michigan threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth against Burgos (S, 13). Burgos walked Reaves to start the inning. Holm fouled off several tough pitches from Burgos but slapped a hit-and-run single through the right side. Although he slid into second base, Reaves still advanced around to third on the play. Burgos then struck out King for the first out of the inning but Holm stole second on strike three to put the tying run in scoring position. First baseman Dean Green grounded out to second base to score a run and cut the Hawks lead to 4-3 and advance the tying run to third with two outs. Burgos escaped the inning with the save when he struck out Harrell to end the game.

The Hawks bullpen continued its stellar work over the last three weeks by preserving Schepel's win. After Saturday night's game, the Hawks' bullpen has allowed just fourteen runs in its last fifty-two innings of work for a 2.42 ERA. Tyler Green started the eighth inning for the Hawks and pitched around two walks to throw a scoreless inning. Burgos surrendered one run on one hit in the ninth but earned the save nonetheless.

The Hawks and Whitecaps will meet again on Sunday afternoon in the second game of the three-game series. First pitch is at 2:05pm. Montreal Robertson (2-5, 6.07 ERA) gets the start for West Michigan while Jesse Darrah (9-6, 4.05 ERA) will start for South Bend. Come enjoy Family Day at Coveleski Regional Stadium with pre-game catch on the field and post-game autographs from Silver Hawks players. The Hawks are also giving away wall clocks to the first 500 fans through the gates so be sure to get here early for Sunday's matinee.

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Midwest League Stories from July 27, 2013


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