Heim's Late Homer Lifts RockHounds to Win
Published on May 29, 2019 under Texas League (TL1)
Midland RockHounds News Release
The RockHounds "lost some weight" Tuesday night as they said "so long" to the proverbial 500-pound gorilla. The 'Hounds snapped a six-game losing streak, edging the Corpus Christi Hooks, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game series at Security Bank Ballpark.
Jonah Heim sent a two-run home run into the right field bullpen in the last of the eighth. The short-porch drive broke a 3-3 tie and the 'Hounds held off a Hooks rally in the ninth to close the deal.
The Hooks broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth on Ronnie Dawson's solo shot to right field, the first of five home runs in the game.
Hooks right fielder Stephen Wrenn lost Collin Theroux's shallow fly ball in the home half of the inning and Kevin Merrell followed with a two run home that went out deep in the right-center field power alley. The next batter, Brallan Perez, walked and Mikey White's RBI double (his league-leading 17th two-bagger of the season) pushed the advantage to 3-1.
Josh Rojas hit a solo home run in the sixth and triples from Osvaldo Duarte and Chas McCormick (RBI) in the eighth tied the game at 3-3.
Dairon Blanco's speed set the table in the ninth as he beat out a chopper to second base and Heim took Hunter Martin's 2-2 pitch into the right field bullpen.
Wrenn's solo homer off John Gorman in the ninth cut the lead to 5-4 and the Hooks put two more runners on (both via walks) with two out before Trey Cochran-Gill entered the game and struck McCormick, ending the game and showing the "gorilla" to the exit.
Notable
The RockHounds are popular, for now, anyway, in Frisco, as they helped the first-place RoughRiders gain a full game over their two closest pursuers. The Riders defeated Amarillo, 3-1, in the Metroplex while the 'Hounds were hanging on to edge Corpus. The RoughRiders (27-23) now lead the Hooks (25-25) by two-and-a-half games and Amarillo (24-25) by three. The RockHounds (23-27) remain four-and-a-half games back with just 19 games remaining in the first half pennant race.
Mikey White went 1-for-3 (RBI double, walk) and has hits in four straight games (6-for-17, with three doubles, one home run and seven RBI). Mikey has reached base in 24-of-his-last-25 games (.286) and is hitting .324 in his last 18 (nine doubles, two HR and 15 RBI).
Dairon Blanco has hits in six straight games (12-24, .500) with two triples, two HR, five RBI and a stolen base. He has also reached base safely in 19-of-21 games (.272).
Jonah Heim (2-for-4, double, HR) has reached in base in eight straight games (8-24, .333) ... 20-of-22 (.295) ... and in 34-of-38 (.299).
Collin Theroux has hits in four straight (including a two-HR game last Friday at Amarillo), going 7-for-16, with a double, two HR and five RBI.
While one "bad" streak (the six-game slide) was ending, so was one "good" one. Chase Calabuig went 0-for-4, snapping his 17-game on-base streak, second-longest on the team this season (Mikey White reached in 20 in-a-row).
Question: What do you get when you play an infielder in left field? Answer: Two brilliant catches back-to-back. Brallan Perez made a leaping grab at the wall in left on a drive off the bat of Abraham Toro in the sixth and robbed the next hitter, Seth Beer, of a hit with a diving catch in shallow left field. (It wasn't Brallan's "first rodeo" in the outfield ... he has played there at times in his career ... but his primary position is middle infielder).
Next Game
Wednesday, May 29 vs. Corpus Christi Hooks
Security Bank Ballpark 6:30 p.m. (Gates open 6:00)
Copa Night / Serape Blankets / Postgame Fireworks
- Second of a three-game series and of a four-game homestand
- Radio: NewsTalk 550 with Bob Hards ... airtime 6:15 p.m.
Probable Starters
CC: Brandon Bailey (RH, 0-1, 4.94)
RH: Matt Milburn (RH, 1-3, 5.58)
Texas League Stories from May 29, 2019
- Wednesday's Game Postponed by Rain - Frisco RoughRiders
- Soddies, Riders Postponed; Doubleheader Thursday - Amarillo Sod Poodles
- Thursday's Doubleheader to Start at 5:10 p.m., Giveaway Begins at 6:10 p.m. - Springfield Cardinals
- Rain Wins on Wednesday in Springdale - Arkansas Travelers
- Drillers and Cardinals Rained Out - Tulsa Drillers
- Naturals Game Postponed on May 29th - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Carlson Leads Cardinals to 7-4 Win over Drillers - Springfield Cardinals
- Heim's Late Homer Lifts RockHounds to Win - Midland RockHounds
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