Nicolas' Second Grand Slam Leads AirHogs to Victory

Published on August 4, 2009 under American Association (AA)
Grand Prairie AirHogs News Release


Grand Prairie, TX. Cesar Nicolas launched an 8th inning grand-slam homerun tonight at QuikTrip Park to lead the AirHogs to an 8-6 victory over the Pensacola Pelicans. The four-run shot was his second in a week's time-the first one hit at LaGrave Field versus Fort Worth last Tuesday.

The Pelicans took an early lead in the first inning when Antoine Gray doubled to left center to score Francisco Leandro, who had reached base on a walk and taken second on a passed ball.

The scored stayed 1-0 until the fourth inning when the Pels scraped together three runs on two hits and two errors. Lou Palmisano led off the inning and was hit by a Jose Codero pitch to put him at first base. He advanced to third on an error by Javier Brito and was brought home by a Dallas Christison base hit to right field. Adam Darby, who reached base on the Brito error, tagged home on a Kevin Reynolds sacrifice-fly ball to centerfield. Leandro would manage a base-hit for himself, bringing Darby across the plate for the final run of the inning, and advancing the score to 4-1.

The AirHogs, hitless after three innings, put together a string of four base-hits against Pels' starter Aaron Jackson in the fourth inning, to bring the score to 4-3. Cesar Nicolas started off the inning with a single to left field before Mike Conroy laced his own base-hit into right field. After Brito reached on a fielder's choice, which eliminated Nicolas, Chad Gabriel lined a double into left-center to score Conroy. JB Tucker would follow with a two-base-hit of his own, to plate both Gabriel and Brito.

Neither team would score again until the seventh. After Leandro drove a triple into right center, ending Cordero's start, he would stand still following two pop-ups and two walks handed out by reliever Greg Krause. Southpaw Justin Garcia would come in to face Darby, who singled, scoring Leandro and the previously walked Rodriguez.

Grand Prairie put together another run of their own with an Aaron Garza double to left field coupled with a hit-by-pitch and error at third to plate Garza, closing the scoring gap to 6-4.

The story was written in the eighth inning, when a hit, an error, and a hit-by-pitch, juiced the bases for Nicolas, with two outs on the board. For the second time in less than seven days, Nicolas blasted a leftfield grand slam homerun to bring to its final resting place at 8-6.

The series continues tomorrow between the Grand Prairie AirHogs and the Pensacola Pelicans starting at 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 6 p.m. For tickets, call 972.504.9383 or visit www.airhogsbaseball.com.

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American Association Stories from August 4, 2009


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