PCL1 Albuquerque Isotopes

Isotopes Close out Road Trip with 8-2 Loss to Cubs

Published on April 12, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Albuquerque Isotopes News Release


DES MOINES, Iowa - The first road trip of the 2012 season proved fraught with peril, as the Albuquerque Isotopes (2-6) finished off the journey falling to the Iowa Cubs (5-3) 8-2 on a sunny Thursday afternoon at Principal Park. The "˜Topes finish off the eight-game swing through Omaha and Iowa losing six of eight contests played.

For the second straight game, Iowa jumped out to a fast lead, scoring five times in the second inning, with the majority of the damage executed with two outs. After a walk to Ty Wright and a base hit by Josh Vitters, Matt Tolbert laced a single to left, scoring Wright and giving the Cubs a quick 1-0 lead. Isotopes starter Stephen Fife fanned his counterpart Chris Rusin and seemed to be on the verge of avoiding further damage, but a walk to Tony Campana opened the flood-gates. Dave Sappelt laced a two-run single to center and was immediately followed by an RBI base knock by Luis Valbuena to give the home team a 4-0 cushion. Anthony Rizzo capped the scoring with a run-scoring single of his own to increase the advantage to 5-0 Iowa, with four runs scoring with two down in the frame.

To his credit, Fife weathered the tough inning and settled in, retiring eight straight batters until he was touched again in the fifth. After back-to-back singles by Rizzo and Wright, Blake Lalli hit a groundball that was kicked by shortstop Luis Cruz for an error, allowing Rizzo to trot home and make the score 6-0, I-Cubs.

Albuquerque finally showed signs of offensive life in the sixth when Alex Castellanos reached on an infield single and was immediately cashed in by a towering double to the wall in center by Jerry Sands, cutting the deficit to 6-1. Jeff Baisley then added a single to center, scoring Sands and bringing the "˜Topes to within four a 6-2.

Iowa would get the runs back in short order, however, as Sappelt blasted a monstrous home run to left center in the sixth and Vitters added an RBI double in the seventh to send the Cubs to an 8-2 series-winning triumph.

Fife (0-2) suffered the defeat for the "˜Topes after allowing six runs, all earned, on eight hits in 4.2 innings while walking two and fanning five. Cubs starter Rusin (1-1) was excellent in earning the victory, going seven strong innings in which he yielded just two runs on six hits while walking two and fanning one.

Mercifully, the Isotopes will return home Friday to begin a four-game series with the Omaha Storm Chasers in the first homestand of the 2012 campaign. Right-hander Fernando Nieve (0-1, 48.60) will get the ball in the home opener for the "˜Topes against Chasers lefty Ryan Verdugo (0-0, 9.00) in a 7:05 PM start from The Lab.

Albuquerque returns home tomorrow for an action-packed home-opening eight-game homestand. On Friday, the first 3,000 fans will get an Isotopes scarf courtesy of Sandia Resort and on Saturday, "˜Topes beanie caps will be handed out to the first 3,000 fans courtesy of Coca-Cola. Dodgers Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda is also scheduled to join in on Friday's Opening Night festivities. Tickets for any Isotopes game may be purchased at the Isotopes Park Box Office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, or on-line at www.abqisotopes.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Check out the Albuquerque Isotopes Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Pacific Coast League Stories from April 12, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central