Sports stats



Johnson's game-breaking blast delights 11,540 at PGE Park

June 3, 2006 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Portland Beavers News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - Ben Johnson hit a three-run homer to break a tie game in the bottom of the eighth inning, lifting the Portland Beavers to a 7-4 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox before 11,540 at PGE Park Friday night.

Jack Cust and Manny Alexander also homered for the Beavers (30-24), who, with the win, salvaged a series split with the Sky Sox.

Jorge Piedra homered twice for Colorado Springs (21-34).

With the game tied at 1-1, Cust's two-run homer to the opposite field put the Beavers up in the third, but Piedra clubbed his second blast of the night - a two-run shot off starter Jack Cassel - to knot the game, and the Sky Sox added a third run in the fourth inning after second baseman David Matranga committed a two-out error.

Alexander greeted reliever Jaime Cerda with a game-tying solo home run to lead off the sixth.

After Matranga walked and Paul McAnulty singled to start the eighth-inning rally, Johnson clubbed a shot to the left field corner that barely cleared the wall to break the 4-4 stalemate.

Johnson's blast, his fifth of the season, came off Steve Colyer, who fell to 1-1 with the loss.

Aquilino Lopez (2-0) got the win for the Beavers, who open a four-game series at Tucson Saturday night. Jim Brower, who joined the Beavers Friday afternoon, pitched the ninth for the save in his first appearance with the club.

The Beavers got out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Alexander doubled to start things, moved to third on Matranga's single and scored on McAnulty's deep fly to center.

Piedra hit a one-out solo shot in the second to tie it.

NOTES: Eddie Basinski, a longtime Beaver recently inducted into the PCL Hall of Fame, was honored with a plaque ceremony before Friday's game ... it was Kids Honor Day at PGE Park, the third-annual event held in conjunction with the Portland Baseball Group to reward local honor students with tickets to a game ... Piedra was intentionally walked in the fifth after hitting a home run in each of his first two at-bats ... FOX 12's Andy Carson was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch and to help hand out some of his celebrity-likeness bobbleheads ... Friday's crowd was the largest of the season and the largest since July 4, 2005 (15,724).



Pacific Coast League Stories from June 3, 2006


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