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 Corpus Christi Hooks

Hooks Take the Long Way Home

April 23, 2008 - Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release


Rob Cosby's ground-rule RBI double in the 13th inning Tuesday night pushed the Hooks to a 6-5 come-from-behind, extra-inning triumph over Midland before 5,671 at Whataburger Field.

Corpus Christi (11-7) pulls even with the RockHounds for second place in the Texas League South.

Drew Sutton worked a one-out walk from Midland reliever Jose Rojas in the 13th. After a ground out and walk, Cosby hit a deep fly ball into the left-field corner which Myron Leslie seemed to have measured. But the ball carried past the back-peddling outfielder, dropped onto the warning track and bounced over the fence and onto the berm for the ground-rule double that plated Sutton from second for the game-winning run.

Ryan Thompson (1-0), the fifth pitcher of the evening for the Hooks, tossed four frames of shutout, hitless relief to garner the win. He walked two and struck out five.

Thompson retired the first nine men he faced and dealt with trouble only in the 13th when he issued a leadoff walk to Cliff Pennington. Justin Sellers sacrificed Pennington to second, prompting Thompson to dole out a free pass to league RBI leader Jesus Guzman. Thompson, though, got Jon Zeringue to fly out to right field, then froze Leslie for a called third strike to end the threat.

The Hooks, down 5-3, rallied to tie the game in the eighth after reliever Sammy Gervacio yielded solo home runs to Jesus Guzman and Leslie in the visiting half. With one away, Lou Santangelo coaxed a walk and moved to second on a two-out free pass by Mitch Einertson. Sutton drilled a clutch two-out, two-run double to right-center for his second and third RBI's of the night and a 5-5 score.

Lost in the length of Tuesday's game was the fine performance of Hooks' starter Bud Norris, who tossed five innings of shutout ball. The right-hander limited the Hounds to three hits, striking out six and walking one over 88 pitches. Norris now has 27 strikeouts against four walks.

Midland starter Andrew Bailey and Norris traded zeros over the first four innings before Corpus Christi broke through for two in the fifth. Chris Johnson opened the frame with a double to right and advanced to third on Einertson's single to center. Sutton then laced a two-bagger into the right-field gap for a 1-0 Hooks lead. Tommy Manzella followed with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Einertson from third base.

The RockHounds responded with three tallies in the sixth against reliever Ryan McKeller. Pennington ignited the rally with a leadoff single to center and advanced 90 feet thanks to a throwing error by McKeller on Justin Sellers' fielder's choice.

Guzman stepped up and roped liner to left, plating Pennington to pull Midland within one. After a strikeout, Myron Leslie struck a single to right-center, scoring Sellers from third. A costly throwing error by Einertson in right enabled Guzman to score as well for a 3-2 Midland lead.

Richie Paz, who reached base in all five of his plate appearances, tied the game at three in the seventh with an RBI single to left field.

Manzella extended his league-leading hitting streak to 11 games with a double in the first.

Tuesday's game was the longest of the season for the Hooks in terms of innings and time (4:28).

Game three of the series is Wednesday night at 7:05. James Simmons (0-1) faces Corpus Christi's Chance Douglass (1-1).


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