Hawks Rally in 9th for 8-7 Comeback Win

August 26, 2013 - Midwest League (MWL1)
South Bend Silver Hawks News Release


Center fielder Breland Almadova laced a bases-loaded single to right field in the bottom of the ninth as the South Bend Silver Hawks snapped an eight-game losing streak with a thrilling 8-7 victory over the Great Lakes Loons. Left fielder Mike Lang contributed four hits, three RBIs, and a run scored in the victory. The Hawks bullpen blew a 6-2 lead in the top of the ninth by giving up five runs to the Loons but struck back for two in the bottom of the ninth to win the game and regain the lead in the race for best record in the Midwest League Eastern Division.

Continuing a worrying trend, the Silver Hawks fell behind in the first inning. This time it took all of one batter for Great Lakes (64-69, 37-26) to take the lead against Silver Hawks starting pitcher Rob Coe. Center fielder Robbie Garvey led off the game and smoked a deep fly ball to center field. Hawks centerfielder Breland Almadova made a valiant effort to catch the ball but it tipped off the end of his glove and rolled to the wall. After the ball hit the wall, Almadova fumbled it while trying to pick it up and Garvey came all the way around to score on the play. He was given credit for a triple and then scored on the fielding error by Almadova.

South Bend (78-55, 34-30) tied the game in the bottom of the third inning when their own leadoff hitter, second baseman Fidel Pena came to the plate. Pena smacked a 1-2 offering from Loons starter Zachary Bird deep over the right-center field wall to tie the game at 1-1.

The game did not remain tied for long as Great Lakes, the Class-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, inched back out in front in the top of the fourth inning. Left fielder Devin Shines led off the inning with a line drive double to center field. With one out, shortstop Leo Rodriguez walked to put two runners on with one out. Third baseman Brandon Dixon laced a line drive to left field and he was robbed of extra bases on a leaping catch by Michael Lang. Catcher Jose Capellan came through for the Loons with a fly ball single into shallow right field that scored Shines from second and gave Great Lakes a 2-1 lead.

South Bend, the Class-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, put up a two-spot in the bottom of the sixth inning to wrest the lead away from the Loons. Rob Rogers came in to start the inning for Great Lakes in relief of Bird. Bird gave the Loons a solid outing as he threw five innings and allowed only one run on three hits and two walks. First baseman Rudy Flores welcomed Rogers into the game with a solid single up the middle. Lang added to his defensive feat in the fourth inning with his second extra-base hit of the game, a booming triple off of the base of the center field wall that scored Flores and tied the game at 2-2. Rogers struck out catcher Michael Perez for the first out of the inning and the Loons brought the infield in with one out and Lang on third. Almadova hit a soft ground ball up the middle that was snagged with a diving play by Rodriguez at short. By the time he got up he only had one play and had to throw to first for the force as Lang crossed the plate for a 3-2 Hawks lead.

Enrique Garcia came on to start the seventh inning in relief of Coe. Coe held the Loons to two runs on seven hits in six innings while striking out five. Garcia faced three batters and retired two of them sandwiched around a one-out single. Geordy Parra came into the game to get the final out of the inning and induced first baseman Tyler Ogle to hit into a forceout at second base to end the inning and maintain the 3-2 South Bend lead.

Shortstop Andrew Velazquez led off the bottom of the seventh inning for the Hawks and he smoked an offering from Rogers for a triple off the center field wall. Pena hit a fly ball to deep left field but it was flagged down at the track for a sacrifice fly that extended the lead to 4-2. Right fielder Socrates Brito grounded a single through the left side and then advanced to second base on a passed ball. The Loons decided to intentionally walk third baseman Brandon Drury which signaled the end of the night for Rogers. Crayton Bare came on with one out in the seventh and men on first and second to try to keep the Great Lakes deficit at 4-2. Bare struck out Flores for the second out of the inning but then Lang struck again, lacing another double to the center field wall. Lang's hit scored both runners and gave the Hawks a 6-2 lead. Rogers ended up surrendering five earned runs in just one and a third innings while taking the loss for the Loons.

Parra pitched a clean eighth inning for the Silver Hawks and Bare gave way to Luis Meza in the bottom of the eighth for the Loons. Meza surrendered a leadoff walk but retired the next three batters in order to take the game into the ninth inning at 6-2 Silver Hawks. Hawks closer Enrique Burgos entered the game to close out the game for the Hawks in the ninth.

Burgos gave up an infield single to Dixon to lead off the inning and then walked Capellan and Garvey to load the bases with nobody out. Right fielder Jeremy Rathjen hit a ground ball to the first basemen that resulted in a forceout at home plate for the first out of the inning. Designated hitter Aaron Miller followed with a ground ball single up the middle that scored two runs and cut the lead to 6-4. James Baldwin entered the game for the Loons as a pinch runner for Miller at first base. After a visit to the mound from the Hawks pitching coach, Burgos walked Ogle on four pitches to reload the bases. That was the end of the line for Burgos as the Hawks turned to Jimmie Sherfy (1-1) to try to end the game.

Sherfy's first batter was Devin Shines. He made Shines look bad as he waved at three consecutive sliders low and away to strikeout for the second out of the inning. Second baseman Kevin Taylor came to the plate with two outs and he tied the game with a ground ball single through the right side that scored two runs and also advanced Ogle around to third base. Taylor stole second base and Rodriguez then hit a perfectly placed grounder that resulted in an RBI infield single and a 7-6 Loons lead. Sherfy got out of the inning by inducing Dixon to ground out to third, but the damage had been done and the Loons led 7-6 going into the bottom of the ninth.

Owen Jones (3-4) came in to close the game out for the Loons and entered along with an array of defensive substitutions. He walked Brito to lead off the inning. Drury then flew out to left for the first out of the inning. Flores turned on the first pitch he saw from Jones and laced an RBI double off the top of the wall in left-center field to tie the game at 7-7. Lang came to the plate next and beat out an infield single to short that put runners at the corners with one out. Pedro Ruiz came on to pinch run at third base. The Loons intentionally walked Perez to load the bases and brought the center fielder into the infield to play a five-infielder alignment. Almadova made sure the defensive shifting was irrelevant as he laced a single over the right fielder's head and Ruiz crossed the plate with the game-winning run on the walkoff hit.

The Hawks have a rare mid-homestand off day on Tuesday before bouncing right back into action on Wednesday night in the start of a three-game series with the Bowling Green Hot Rods, the Class-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Wednesday is Kids Eat Free night at Coveleski Regional Stadium as kids 12 & under get a voucher at the gate for a free hot dog, chips, and a drink. Come on out with your kids as the Silver Hawks begin their last regular season home series of the season and continue their battle with Bowling Green for home-field advantage throughout the Eastern Division playoff.



Midwest League Stories from August 26, 2013


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