SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power beat Rome in 11

Published on July 21, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Charleston, WV (July 21, 2008) - The West Virginia Power defeated the Rome Braves for the first time since the 2006 season with a 6-5 victory in 11 innings at Appalachian Power Park on Monday night.

The Power took and early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Eric Fryer's RBI single. The Braves tied it up in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI double from Cody Johnson. Zelous Wheeler singled in Caleb Gindl in the fourth inning to give the Power their second lead of the night. Fryer singled in another run in the fifth inning and Zelous Wheeler reached on a fielder's choice to score Eric Farris, giving the Power their largest lead of the night.

Jason Heyward hit a solo shot in the sixth inning, his ninth of the season and the Braves scored twice in the seventh to tie it up. Adam Coe doubled in Johnson to score the first run and Chad Lundahl grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to bring in the tying run. Lee Haydel smacked a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Power the lead, before Lundahl returned the favor with a two-out RBI double of his own to tie it in the top of the ninth.

The Braves had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the top of the tenth. They had runners at the corners with nobody out before Curtis Pasma struck out Heyward, walked Freddie Freeman and Michael Fisher grounded into 1-2-3 inning ending double play. Lee Haydel began the eleventh inning with a base hit. Matt Cline laid down a bunt on the right side of the infield, which was picked up by Tommy Palica. Palica's errant throw went into right field and allowed Haydel to score the winning run.

Pasma (4-2) tossed a pair of scoreless innings and allowed just a base hit to get the victory. Palica (6-5) allowed just the unearned run over two and a third on four hits and was tagged with the loss. Evan Anundsen allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings and Wes Etheridge provided two scoreless innings of relief. The Braves hit into four double plays, including three inning enders.

The Power improved to 54-46 on the year and 22-9 in the second half with the win. The Braves fell to 37-63 on the year and 15-16 in the second half with the loss. Seven Power players hit safely, and four turned in multi-hit games. Fryer paced the Power with a 3-for-5 performance. Matt Cline reached four times and extended his on base streak to 12 games. Eric Farris went 1-for-4 and has hit safely in seven straight games since his 15 game hitting streak was snapped. The victory snapped a six game losing skid against the Braves. It was West Virginia's first win against Rome since August 9th, 2006.

The Power will continue the four game series against the Rome Braves at Appalachian Power Park on Tuesday night. Right hander Roque Mercedes (4-4, 4.97) will make the start for the Power and the Braves will counter with left hander Richard Sullivan (1-1, 3.72). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

For more information contact the Power Front Offices at (304) 344-2287 or visit the Power website at www.wvpower.com.

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 21, 2008


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