New Wingnuts starter stifles Captains

Published on August 4, 2010 under American Association (AA)
Shreveport-Bossier Captains News Release


SHREVEPORT, La. - Three Wichita Wingnuts pitchers in slightly new roles allowed just five Shreveport-Bossier Captains baserunners - all hits - on Tuesday night, as the Wingnuts beat the Captains 6-3 in front of 902 fans at Fair Grounds Field, earning their first win in five tries in Shreveport.

Starter Bubba O'Donnell (1-0) allowed all five of the hits in his Wichita debut after being traded from Newark in the Atlantic League. He fell behind early when newly-named American Association Batter of the Week Christopher Garcia hit his Captains-leading 12th home run of the year with two outs in the bottom of the first, but allowed just two hits after that, including a stretch of nine straight retired, until the bottom of the seventh.

The Wingnuts (36-38, 16-10 2nd half) came right back in the second though, despite getting one clean single in the frame. That came leading off the inning by Michael Bell off Captains starter Ryan DiPietro (7-2). Cesar Suarez then reached on an infield hit to third, before a sacrifice bunt moved the runners up. Jeff Christy then knocked in a run with another infield hit, before Steve Pearson's slow dribbler to second brought in another run to give Wichita a 2-1 lead.

That lead grew in the fourth, when back-to-back two-out doubles by Christy (who was 4-for-5) and Steve Pearson made it 3-1, and increased even more on a bases-loaded walk to Jorge Cortes in the sixth.

But the Captains (42-31, 13-13) hung around, and Palmer Karr got his second double of the game leading off the bottom of the seventh. Uriak Marquez then drilled his eighth homer of the year over the rightfield wall, cutting the deficit to 4-3. But O'Donnell retired the next three hitters, leaving after seven innings, with seven strikeouts and the three runs allowed.

Wichita once again answered, with a two-out, two-run homer by Cortes in the eighth, knocking out DiPietro after 7 2/3 innings, having allowed 14 hits and six runs, with four strikeouts and two walks.

With All-Star closer Justin Dowdy sold to the Tampa Bay Rays before the game, Brandon Mathes and Cephas Howard each moved up a spot in the Wichita bullpen, but they were unfazed, each pitching a perfect inning to close out the win, earning Howard his second save of the season.

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American Association Stories from August 4, 2010


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