Hawks Drive Loons Batty, 3-2

Published on August 7, 2014 under Midwest League (MWL1)
South Bend Silver Hawks News Release


Second baseman Jamie Westbrook tied the game with a line drive single in the bottom of the 6th and designated hitter Justin Williams scored on two straight wild pitches later in the inning as the South Bend Silver Hawks (26-20, 66-49) took the first game of the series over the Great Lakes Loons (34-37, 56-60) 3-2 on Thursday night at Four Winds Field. Center fielder Chuck Taylor went 2-for-2 with an RBI and two walks to pace the Hawks' offense in the game.

South Bend, the Class-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, struck first with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Left fielder Fidel Pena led off with the inning with a double to right off of Loons starter Victor Arano. Shortstop Andrew Velazquez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Pena to third with one out. Taylor laced a single back up the middle to plate Pena and give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Great Lakes, the Class-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, tied the game up right away in the top of the fourth inning. Third baseman Paul Hoenecke walked to lead off the inning against Hawks starter Ryan Doran. Doran struck out right fielder Joey Curletta for the first out of the inning and got first baseman Josmar Cordero to ground out for the second out, advancing Hoenecke to second. With two outs, designated hitter Webster Rivas tied the game with a double down the left field line that scored Hoenecke.

The Loons then took the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Hoenecke led off the inning with a double into the left-center field gap off Hawks reliever Bud Jeter (W, 4-2). Curletta followed by flaring a single into right that put runners at the corners. Cordero then hit into a force out at second that scored Hoenecke and gave the Loons a 2-1 lead. Great Lakes looked to be putting together a big inning when Rivas followed with a double into the right field corner but Cordero went too far around third and got thrown out trying to scramble back to the base for the second out of the inning. Jeter then settled down and struck out left fielder Jacob Scavuzzo to end the inning and keep it at 2-1.

The Hawks immediately responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 3-2 lead. Taylor led off the inning with a walk off reliever Jordan Hershiser (L, 0-1). First baseman Daniel Palka hit a grounder right into the teeth of the shift for a 4-5 force out at second base. Third baseman Joe Munoz struck out for the second out of the inning. Williams kept the inning alive with a line drive single to center that put runners at the corners with two outs. Westbrook tied the game by smacking another single up the middle that scored Palka and advanced Williams to second. Then during first baseman Marty Herum's at-bat, a wild pitch by Hershiser advanced Williams to third and Westbrook to second. On the next pitch, the ball got away from Loons catcher Spencer Navin and the past ball allowed Williams to score the go-ahead run as they took the lead 3-2.

The South Bend bullpen took care of the rest of the game as Nick Sarianides, Will Locante, and Silvino Bracho (S, 22) combined to throw three straight shutout innings to close out the 3-2 win. Sarianides pitched a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts. Locante allowed a two out single but retired Cordero on a groundout to end the inning. Bracho struck out the side with three consecutive swinging strikeouts for his league-leading 22nd save.

The Hawks and Loons continue their four-game series with a 7:35pm start on Friday night. Righty Greg Harris (7-6, 4.71 ERA) gets the start for Great Lakes while lefty Anthony Banda (7-6, 3.55 ERA) gets his second start for South Bend. It is Geronimo Stitlton Book Giveaway night where the first 750 kids through the gates will receive a free book from the mouse-tacular Geronimo or Thea Stilton series. It is also Girl Scouts Night at Four Winds Field with a post-game movie and camp out on the field overnight. Help the Silver Hawks light up Four Winds Field on Friday night as it is Neon Night with a special neon dance performance after the game. There will also be the Silver Hawks famous fireworks spectacular following the game so come on out for all the fun at the ballpark Friday night.

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Midwest League Stories from August 7, 2014


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