TL1 Corpus Christi Hooks

Hooks Yank Hounds… Again

Published on June 13, 2009 under Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release


CORPUS CHRISTI - Brian Esposito's single scored Jimmy Van Ostrand from second base with one out in the 10th inning to give Corpus Christi a 5-4 victory over Midland Saturday night at Whataburger Field before 7,839.

The Hooks, 28-30, have won five straight and seven of the last eight. They are four games behind the 33-27 RockHounds in the Texas League South Division standings with 12 contests left in the season's first half. Midland dropped all four games of the series.

RockHounds starter Travis Banwart gave up one run on five hits and struck out four in six innings before Corpus Christi climbed back into the game against Mike Benacka. Benacka took over for Jon Hunton to begin the eighth and promptly loaded the bases. Van Ostrand's one-out, sack-clearing double down the left-field line knotted things at 4.

Benacka's trouble began when Collin DeLome opened with a single to right. Kaz Matsui and Drew Locke drew walks in setting the table for Van Ostrand's low liner.

In the 10th, Rocky Roquet (1-2) fell victim to Esposito's heroics. Roquet issued a lead-off walk to Van Ostrand, who advanced to second on Drew Meyer's sacrifice bunt. Mitch Einertson took an intentional pass before Esposito spanked a 2-2 pitch into right field for his only hit of the night.

Evan Englebrook (1-0) covered the final three innings and faced one over the minimum. He permitted a hit, a walk and fanned two.

Banwart, who survived a bases-loaded sixth by getting Van Ostrand on a fly to third, retired the Hooks in order four times.

Hooks starter Wilton Lopez averted a Midland run in the first, inducing a double-play ball from Chris Carter with runners at the corners.

Lopez wasn't as fortunate in the second. Singles by Matt Spencer and Corey Brown and an Alex Valdez double to left generated the RockHounds' first score. Gabriel Ortiz followed with an RBI ground out.

Wladimir Sutil scratched for Corpus Christi an inning later with a two-out bunt single, stolen base and dash home on DeLome's single to right.

Midland grabbed the run right back for a 3-1 advantage. Valdez doubled a second time and scored when Archie Gilbert singled to right.

Lopez was tagged for 12 hits in four-plus innings. The Hooks tip-toed through the early innings as Midland had runners cut down at the plate in the second and fourth frames on assists by right fielder Locke and third baseman Meyer. The RockHounds stranded seven through five.

Andy Van Hekken inherited Cardenas and Carter after they chased Lopez with consecutive singles, but stopped the bleeding by retiring the next three.

Midland was retired in order for the first time all evening by Van Hekken in the sixth, but he surrendered a run on three singles - the last a run-scorer by Spencer - during the seventh.

Meyer extended his hitting streak to eight games with a seventh-inning double. Cardenas and Carter recorded three hits each.

The Hooks bus to San Antonio Sunday morning for a four-game series with the Missions. Corpus Christi sends Brad James (2-4) against Stephen Faris (3-7) at 4:05.

Check out the Corpus Christi Hooks Statistics

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Texas League Stories from June 13, 2009


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