Hooks Unravel Travs 11-8 With Four Homers
May 10, 2006 - Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
Ray Winder Field, Little Rock, AR - The Corpus Christi Hooks (19-13) blasted four home runs and collected 14 base hits in an 11-8 victory over the Arkansas Travelers (13-19). RF Hunter Pence hit two solo home runs (10) to tie for the league lead and has homered four times in three games. J.R. House (4) and Jared Sandberg (3) each hit a two-run homer as the Hooks set a new team high for home runs in a game. The Travs built a 6-2 lead after the third inning thanks to back-to-back two-run doubles by Aaron Peel and Brandon Wood in the second inning and a solo home run by Jason Aspito (6) in the third. However the Hooks scored nine of the game's last 11 runs and won the four-game series by taking the last three. Travs RHP Allen Buckley (1-2) suffered the loss by allowing four runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. Corpus Christi LHP Blake Allen (2-0) earned the win although he allowed one run on two hits in 1.1 innings. RHP Jailen Peguero (8) saved the game with a scoreless ninth inning. Travs 2B Eric Rodland finished 3-for-3 with three RBI, while CF Dwaine Bacon was 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored. The Travs stranded nine runners with seven men left in scoring position.
The Hooks grabbed a first-inning lead against Arkansas starter RHP Rafael Rodriguez. Josh Anderson beat a ground ball to first base for an infield hit and House walloped a two-run homer to right field.
Corpus Christi RHP Mitch Talbot stranded a man at third base in the first inning. He also got two quick outs in the second inning, but walked Greg Porter. Hooks 2B Josh Bonifay prolonged the inning when he booted a ground ball by Matt Pali. Rodland followed with an RBI single to center field to cut the score to 2-1 Hooks. Bacon then hit a bouncer that Bonifay fielded a few steps behind second base and flipped to second base, but Rodland beat the throw. Peel followed with a hard chopper past third base to tally two runs for a 3-2 Travs lead and when Bacon slid into third base slightly ahead of a throw from left field, Bonifay argued the call and was ejected for inadvertent contact with the third-base umpire. Wood brought in two more runs with a double to right center for a 5-2 Travs lead.
Aspito led off the third with his third home run of the series for a 6-2 lead.
Rodriguez retired nine of ten batters until allowing a leadoff single by Jorge Cortes who then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Anderson cut the Travs lead to 6-3 when he hit a broken-bat double past first base. Ben Zobrist smacked another double to right field to plate Anderson to make it a 6-4 Travs lead.
The Hooks had RHP Jon Skaggs replace Talbot in the fourth inning and he hit Rodland and allowed Bacon's double with no outs. But Peel bounced to the mound, Wood popped up on the infield and Matt Brown chopped out to third base for no runs.
Skaggs hit the first two hitters of the fifth inning and Rodland drove in Aspito with a two-out single for a 7-4 lead.
New Hooks 2B Osvaldo Fernando began the sixth inning with a single off Rodriguez. He stole second base and moved to third when C Bobby Wilson's throw rolled into center. Sandberg lined a sharp single to left field to make it a two-run game. Rodriguez left the game after walking Cortes and Buckley relieve. John Fagan greeted Buckley with an RBI single to right field to cut the Travs lead to 7-6.
The game turned in the seventh inning when Pence hit a game-tying solo home run with one out. Then House singled and Fernando reached on a fielder's choice that saw House forced at second. Walter Young put the Hooks ahead with an RBI double to the right-field wall and Sandberg followed with a high drive over the center field fence for a 10-7 Hooks lead.
Arkansas managed to score in the seventh against Allen. Porter singled with one out and reached third base when Allen threw a wild pitch while Porter was stealing second base. Rodland then hit a groundball off Allen's foot and reached first for an RBI single.
Pence capped the scoring when he hit a rising line drive over the right-field wall in the ninth against RHP Rich Thompson.
NOTES: Porter's hitting streak continued to eight games...The Travs are 4-12 at Ray Winder Field after finishing this home stand 2-4...Corpus Christi won the first-half season series between the teams, 3-4...
The Travs are off Thursday and Friday and open a five-game series at Tulsa with a Saturday night doubleheader. First pitch on Saturday will be thrown at Drillers Stadium at 6:05 p.m.
Please call (501) 664-1555 or visit www.travs.com for game information.
Texas League Stories from May 10, 2006
- Hooks Unravel Travs 11-8 With Four Homers - Arkansas Travelers
- Hooks win in Arkansas - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Three-run ninth beats Tulsa - Tulsa Drillers
- San Antonio Missions Rained Out - San Antonio Missions
- Cards Rained Out on Wednesday - Springfield Cardinals
- Alex Gordon on ESPN - Wichita Wranglers
- Hooks heading home - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Drillers home Saturday - Tulsa Drillers
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