Hodges Blasts Trappers Past Cats

June 15, 2003 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Edmonton Trappers News Release


Third baseman Scott Hodges smashed a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the Edmonton Trappers to a 5-3 win over the Sacramento River Cats Sunday afternoon at TELUS Field. The win stopped a three-game losing streak for the Trappers, which included back-to-back loses to the River Cats, who have the best record in the Pacific Coast League at 45-26. Sacramento had won four consecutive games and five of the last six against the Trappers. Edmonton has struggled when allowing the opposition to score the first run. They owned an 8-24 record in those games entering Sunday's contest, but overcame an early run by the River Cats to post their 17th home victory of the season. Edmonton and Sacramento conclude this four-game set on Monday night at TELUS Field. The Las Vegas 51s, the club with the second best record in the PCL, will travel to Edmonton on Tuesday to begin a four-game set against the Trappers.

Sunday afternoon's game was a match-up of right-handers as Edmonton's Sun Woo Kim faced off against Sacramento's Rich Harden, a native of Victoria, B.C. Harden entered the season as the Oakland A's top prospect and was 7-2 coming into Sunday's contest. For the fourth consecutive game the Trappers fell behind in the first inning as Sacramento plated an unearned run off Kim. Bobby Crosby singled with one out and moved to second when Dave McCarty drew a walk. An error by Trapper second baseman Luis Figueroa prolonged the inning and loaded the bases for Mike Edwards, who drew a walk, forcing Crosby home with the first run of the game. Trapper left fielder Terrmel Sledge took Harden deep with two out in the bottom of the first to tie the contest at one. Joe Vitiello led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double to straightaway center field. Matt Cepicky followed with a single to left-center off Harden that plated Vitiello with the go-ahead run. Sledge put the Trappers up by two runs in the seventh inning with an RBI single that plated Peter Bergeron from third.

Kim had a stellar outing after struggling through the first inning. He yielded only four hits, one double and three singles, after the first inning. He exited after 7.0 innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits and three walks, while fanning five. Bryan Hebson (5-0) took over in the eighth inning in an attempt to nail down his third save, but Jason Grabowski foiled those plans with a two-run homer off the right-handed reliever. The home run was preceded by a triple by Crosby and tied the game at three. Chris Enochs (2-1) took over for Harden in the sixth inning and allowed Sledge's single that put the Trappers up by two. He walked Valentino Pascucci to start the eighth inning then surrendered the two-run blast to Hodges that won the contest. Hebson got into trouble in the top of the ninth, allowing a one-out single to Esteban German and a two-out walk to Grabowski, but he got McCarty to line out to first to end the game.

Highlights:

Trappers: Are 17-13 at home.are 1-2 on an eight-game homestand that will see the top two clubs in the PCL visit TELUS Field.are 13-22 against clubs with winning records.are 9-24 when the opposition scores the first run, including a 6-10 mark at TELUS Field. Sacramento leads the season series, 7-4.Sacramento leads the All-Time series between the two clubs, 22-21.

LF Terrmel Sledge: Homered off right-hander Rich Harden in the first inning.was his 11th home run of the season and the second time he has taken Harden deep in 2003.has hit safely in 23 of his last 24 games, going 38-for-91 (.418-5-18) in that span.

3B Scott Hodges: Smashed a game-winning two-run home run off Chris Enochs in the bottom of the eighth.extended his hitting streak to seven games.is 13-for-28 (.464) during the streak.has driven in nine runs in his last nine games, June 8 (G1)-15.

Alumni Report:

3B Tony Batista (BAL) vs. MIL: Keyed a four-run fourth inning with a two-run blast off Ben Sheets.home run was his 11th of the season.helped the Orioles down the Brewers 5-4.was 3-for-4 in the contest and is now batting .268 on the season.has 45 RBI.



Pacific Coast League Stories from June 15, 2003


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