Nation Fans Thirteen in 4-2 Win over McAllen
June 30, 2012 - North American League (NAmL)
Fort Worth Cats News Release
Fort Worth starter Blake Nation (4-1) was lights out in his complete game, two-hit, near shutout of the McAllen Thunder in the Cats' 4-2 victory on Saturday night at LaGrave Field in Fort Worth, TX. Nation had held the Thunder scoreless through 8 1/3 innings before allowing a two-run homerun that caromed over the wall off the glove of left fielder Chad Gabriel.
"If I'd have jumped an inch higher, I would've caught it...but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter because we still ended up winning," Gabriel said.
Thirteen was the lucky number in Nation's outing as he retired the first 13 Thunder batters and would set down as many on strikeouts. Nation's only other blemish was two walks in the 5th and 9th innings. Nation improved his strikeout to walk ratio by .4 of a point walking in with 27 K's and 25 BB's, and leaving with 40 K's and 27 BB's.
"It was my first real complete game that I ever had...I didn't realize how many strikeouts I had until the end," Nation said.
Cats' catcher Derek Marshall was once again the highlight of the Fort Worth offensive finishing 3-for-4 with a run scored. Marshall in the past two nights has batted 6-for-8 with three runs scored.
"I've just been trying to stay locked in and keep grinding," Marshall said.
McAllen starter Alexei Perez (1-1) suffered the loss and all of the offensive damage for the Thunder after throwing six innings and giving up four runs on five hits. Perez walked three batters and struck out three batters. Perez did not leave on his own terms after being tossed preceding the top of the seventh inning.
The magic number on the bottom half of LaGrave's scoreboard has been four this season. When the Cats score four or more runs, they have a dominant record of 19-3. Saturday's game was also only the second errorless game at LaGrave Field.
With the win, and a Rio Grande Valley loss, the Cats gain a game on the WhiteWings and with a 19-16 record only sit a game and a half back from second-place Rio Grande Valley heading into a three game series with the WhiteWings that starts Sunday evening at 6:05 at LaGrave Field. McAllen's record slips to 12-24, and they still remain at the bottom of the United League.
The series opener Sunday night is Military Night at LaGrave Field, as the Cats will wear camo jerseys and honor local military all evening. A flyover will take place before the game and an auction on the game-worn jerseys will benefit the Wounded Warriors Project. All tickets are five dollars, and parking is free with a military ID. Tickets can be purchased online at FWCats.com or by phone at (871)332-CATS.
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North American League Stories from June 30, 2012
- Roadrunners Rally to Take Series from Prairie Dogs - Edinburg Roadrunners
- Colts Win Series Finale, 2-1 - San Angelo Colts
- Nation Fans Thirteen in 4-2 Win over McAllen - Fort Worth Cats
- WhiteWings Lose to San Angelo 2-1 - Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings
- Thunder Held by Nation - McAllen Thunder
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