TL1 Corpus Christi Hooks

Hooks Squander Six-run Lead, Lose

Published on August 28, 2008 under Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release


FRISCO, Texas - In a season filled with disappointing results another blown lead late in the game does not come as a shock. But Wednesday night's game in Frisco stung - and for many reasons.

On a night when Drew Sutton created more history and starting pitcher Polin Trinidad was poised and sharp, the Hooks blew an 8-2 lead in the eighth and lost to the RoughRiders 9-8 at Dr Pepper Ballpark.

Frisco's win coupled with San Antonio's victory at Midland gives the RoughRiders a two-game lead over the RockHounds for first place in the Texas League South second-half race. Wednesday's action also forges a tie between San Antonio and Midland in the wild card race.

For a second straight night the Hooks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. RBI singles by Eli Iorg and Brian Bogusevic and an error by Frisco's Julio Borbon gave the Hooks the big early lead. Ole Sheldon and Billy Hart provided RBI hits in the third, while Rob Cosby and Jose Lopez opened the fourth with back-to-back doubles to make it 6-0 in favor of Corpus Christi.

The RoughRiders posted single runs in the fifth and sixth, but the Hooks responded with Bogusevic's RBI double in the seventh and a run-scoring single by Sutton in the eighth.

Trinidad held the home team to two runs on six hits and a pair of walks through seven innings. He struck out six and retired the last five men he faced. Leaving with an 8-2 lead, Trinidad seemed certain to collect his sixth win with the Hooks. It was not to be.

Reliever Tip Fairchild walked two of the first three Frisco batters in the home eighth. Manny Pina's single to left loaded the bases for Steve Murphy, whose pop-up down the left field line dropped directly on the line and bounced into the seats for a ground-rule double to make it an 8-4 game.

Fairchild was removed in favor of Ryan McKeller, who fared no better. Thomas Berkery and pinch hitter Emerson Frostad greeted McKeller (4-6) with RBI singles, and the RoughRiders were to within two at 8-6.

Borbon followed with a good bunt that fell just inside the third-base line. Lopez, Corpus Christi's catcher, pounced on the bunt and fired a strike to Sheldon at first, seemingly retiring Borbon for the second out of the inning. But first base umpire Kellen Levy ruled Borbon safe, indicating that Sheldon was off the bag.

That loaded the bases for Elvis Andrus, who bounced a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield to plate two more runs to knot the score at 8-8.

In the home ninth, Chad Tracy sent Jarred Ball to the warning track in left for the first out. McKeller and the Hooks weren't as fortunate with the next batter, Dustin Majewski, who lifted an 0-1 pitch into the seats beyond the left field wall for a walkoff, opposite-field home run to give Frisco the improbable win.

The result marked the ninth time this season the Hooks carried a lead into the eighth inning and lost. Only the Springfield Cardinals have lost more (13) when leading after seven innings.

Sutton went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, two runs and an RBI. His first-inning double gives him 37 for the year, a new single-season Hooks' record. The two runs make Sutton the first player in Hooks' history to score 100 runs in a season.

Bogusevic had a 2-for-5 night with two RBI's to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Sheldon's 2-for-4 evening with one RBI give him hits in four straight with 10 RBI's.

Chance Douglass (4-10) ascends the bump for the Hooks in Thursday night's 7:00 start. He'll be opposed by Frisco southpaw Derek Holland (3-0).

Check out the Corpus Christi Hooks Statistics

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Texas League Stories from August 28, 2008


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