Pitching huge again as Captains win ninth straight

Published on August 27, 2010 under American Association (AA)
Shreveport-Bossier Captains News Release


GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - It took a bloop single and bang-bang play at first base, but for the first time in 21 innings, the Shreveport-Bossier Captains had given up a run. Instead of a 1-0 10-inning win, the Grand Prairie AirHogs tied the score with two outs in the 10th when David Espinosa beat out the back end of a potential game-ending double play to score Aaron Garza from third.

But the Captains came right back in the 11th inning, getting two more runs off closer AirHogs closer Geivy Garcia to take a 3-1 win Friday night at QuikTrip Park - the club's season-high-tying ninth in a row.

In regulation, the Captains (56-37, 27-19 2nd half) only had baserunners in the first, third, seventh and eighth, and never got anyone to third. Their best chance to score came after consecutive infield singles by Palmer Karr and Andres Rodriguez. But Jorge Alvarez grounded out on the first pitch he saw and the last pitch of the night by Chris Martin.

The AirHogs (43-50, 19-27), meanwhile, had slightly better opportunities against Shreveport-Bossier's Osvaldo Rodriguez, getting two on and two out in the second and the bases loaded with two out in the fourth - but Garza flied out to left both times to end the inning.

The bullpens got into things in the bottom of the seventh, and Justin Young pitched a perfect bottom of the seventh to keep the game scoreless. Jose Obispo got a caught stealing in a four-batter eighth to answer for Grand Prairie, Dan Griffin got a strike-him-out-throw-him-out double play to end the bottom of the eighth, Ben Paxton threw a perfect top of the ninth and Jameson Maj worked around a two-out triple in the AirHogs ninth to send the game to extra innings without any runs.

In the 10th, the Captains got a one-out double from Jorge Alvarez against Garcia (4-5), before a walk to Uriak Marquez brought up Brian Peterson, who along with Grand Prairie's Daniel Berg, led the game with three hits. Peterson's third knock was a first-pitch scorcher through the right side that scored pinch-runner Mike Provencher with the first tally of the contest.

Hector Carrasco (2-4) tried to save his fourth straight game in the bottom of the 10th, but hit Garza to start the frame. Berg bunted him to second, and Antoin Gray's bloop hit to right sent Garza to third. Up stepped Espinoza, who grounded one to second, but beat Marquez's relay to first to keep the game alive.

Former AirHog Robert Perry singled with one out in the 11th but was promptly picked off, but Christopher Garcia restarted things with a single up the middle. After a walk to Palmer Karr and a close play at third where Garcia just beat the throw on a wild pitch, Andres Rodriguez lined a single to center off the glove of a diving Garza to give the Captains the lead for good. Karr then scored on a passed ball to give the Captains insurance for rookie Mark Haynes, who came on to try to get his first professional save.

It was not the best start for Haynes as he walked Ernie Banks after being ahead 0-2, but he got Michael Hollimon to pop up, Steve Carrillo to strike out, and fielded a comebacker from Thomas Incaviglia to record the final out of the game.

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American Association Stories from August 27, 2010


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