AtL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Nix, McKeller, Majewski Seal Game One

Published on July 5, 2012 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


SUGAR LAND, Texas - The Skeeters scored five runs in the first two innings to defeat the Bluefish by the final score of 6-4 in game one at Constellation Field in front of 7495 fans Thursday night.

Coming up next...The Skeeters (28-39) throw Pedro Liriano (3-3) in game two against the Bluefish (29-38) and lefty starter Gilbert De La Vara (3-5). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT at Constellation Field. Tomorrow at the ballpark...The Sugar Land Skeeters will host Texas A&M Night! Aggie head football coach Kevin Sumlin will be on hand to throw the first pitch and former A&M quarterback and Houston Oiler Bucky Richardson will be an honorary Skeeters Manager assisting Manager Gary Gaetti for the evening. Roger Creager will be performing a "Best in Texas" postgame concert presented by Bud Light. The concert will take place in front of the Bud Light Ice House in right center field. Fans will be allowed onto the field for the concert.

Both Michael Nix (2-7) for the Skeeters and Jonah Bayliss (2-5) for the Bluefish made their fifth start of the season and first start against each opponent since joining the rotation. Each pitcher went the required minimum; Nix allowed two earned runs on five hits while walking and striking out three and Bayliss gave up five runs on six hits with three walks and a strikeout.

Going back to the three-game series in Bridgeport, the Skeeters scored first for the fourth straight game in as many days against the Bluefish with the home crowd behind them. Miguel Negron led off the game with a 10-pitch at-bat that finally ended with a single into left. Negron stole second during Ofilio Castro's appearance at the plate, but the starting third baseman walked to put runners in scoring position anyway. During Jason Lane's at-bat, Negron and Castro used a double-steal to put runners on second and third. With two on and one out, center fielder Bubba Bell brought in the first run for Sugar Land with a single up the middle scoring Negron, 1-0.

Right fielder Steve Moss brought in the second run of the inning with a sacrifice to center to give the Skeeters a 2-0 lead bringing Bell to second. During Josh Pressley's at-bat to follow, Bell stole third and ended up jogging home when "˜Fish catcher Luis Rodriguez threw wild into left to increase the lead, 3-0.

Sugar Land was not finished after one. In the second, the home team clubbed two more runs off Bayliss pushing the lead up to five. Manny Mejia walked to start and came home one batter later when Matt Hagen lined a fastball into right-center field for a triple. His first three-bagger of the season scored Mejia all the way from first, 4-0. Dominic Ramos brought Hagen home with a sac-fly to center to cap the scoring at 5-0.

Bridgeport finally found a chink in the armor of Nix halfway through the game in the top of the fifth. Former Skeeters' infielder Luis Figueroa walked on four straight pitches to start the inning and was followed on a hit-by-pitch by Norberto Susini at the bottom of the order to put two on. At the top of the order, Kennard Jones planted a fastball on the inside corner into the corner down the left-field line for an RBI-double to cut the lead down to four, 5-1. One batter afterwards, Eddie Rogers smacked an infield single into the six-hole scoring Susini for the second run, 5-2.

The Bluefish made it a game in the seventh with two more runs off relief pitcher Ryan McKeller. With two on and two outs in the inning, Prentice Redman tagged McKeller with a two-RBI double down the right-field line to cut the lead down to one, 5-4.

However, Sugar Land would not be thwarted in their first contest at home against the Bluefish in franchise history. Ramos led off with a triple, the second of the night for the Skeeters, and scored three batters later when Jason Lane drove him in with a single into left. With the score now 6-4, closer Gary Majewski clinched the win with his ninth save of the season retiring the side in order.

Skeeters Bites: Matt Hagen recorded his first triple of the season...The Skeeters stole five bases as a team, the most in a single game...The Skeeters hit two triples as a team, the most in a single game this season...Sugar Land now has a (4-3) lead over Bridgeport in the overall series and at home (1-0).

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Atlantic League Stories from July 5, 2012


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