SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on April 10, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (1-0) at West Virginia Power (0-1)

Games 2 & 3 | April 10, 2011 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Play-by-Play: Adam Marco Radio: Power Baseball Network and wvpower.com

TODAY'S MATCHUPS

Game One: RH Ryan Fraser (NR) vs. RH Tyler Waldron (NR)

Game Two: RH Yohan Almonte (NR) vs. LH Zach Dodson (NR)

OPENING DAY REWIND: West Virginia lost the season opener 8-0 to Savannah last night. The Sand Gnats tallied two runs in the first, three in the second, one in the third, one in the fourth, and another in the eighth to back a combined shutout effort. The Power were limited to two hits, both of which came in the fourth inning. West Virginia starter Brandon Cumpton allowed seven earned runs over four innings in the loss, while Greg Peavey struck out eight to get the victory.

APRIL SHOWERS EQUALS TWINBILL: After Friday and Saturday night's rainouts, the Power and Sand Gnats will play a doubleheader on Saturday. West Virginia went 7-4 on doubleheader days in 2010, while Savannah was 7-1. West Virginia's last full twinbill was on August 6, 2010, when they swept Delmarva. The double dip scheduled for August 15 saw the second game canceled due to rain in Lexington.

WELCOME BACK: A crowd of 4,807 were in attendance for the 2011 opener, marking the third largest crowd on Opening Day in Appalachian Power Park history. The 2006 opener drew 5,742 fans, while 5,354 entered the gates for the first time for 2005's debut game. Thursday's crowd was larger than any announced during the 2010 season.

NEW SKIPPER: Gary Robinson takes over the helm for the 2011 season. Robinson holds a career record of 71-80 after two seasons with State College in the New York-Penn League. Former Power manager Gary Green is still in the Pirates organization, now serving as a roving minor league infield coordinator.

SOME NEW AND ONE OLD: Dave Howard and Gera Alvarez join manager Gary Robinson as new additions to the Power dugout, but Jeff Johnson returns for his third season in Charleston. Howard will serve as he club's hitting coach, a role he previously held with Bradenton at High-A, while Alvarez joins the staff as a bench coach after serving as manager of the Oakland County Cruisers in the Frontier League last year. Johnson returns for his third season with the Power, having been originally assigned here in 2009 when the affiliation changed from Milwaukee to Pittsburgh.

SAND GNAT SET: West Virginia faces Savannah six more times this season. The Power lead the all-time set 15-10 after last night's loss and last year's series split of a four home and four away set.

ROSTER RUNDOWN: The 2011 Power roster features 16 players drafted by Pittsburgh within the last two years, four players who saw South Atlantic League action in 2010 with the Power, and four ranked within Baseball America's top 25 for the entire Pirates organization. Rogelio Noris, Zach Foster, Jairo Marquez, and Andy Vasquez all saw action in 2010 with the Power. Zack Von Rosenberg rates ninth followed by Colton Cain (13), Zach Dodson (18), and Mel Rojas Jr. (23).

POWER POINTS: West Virginia plays 14 home games during April and nine on the road. The Power went 9-12 during April of 2010, hit .239, and held a staff ERA of 3.80... Justin Howard and Andy Vasquez are listed as infielders on the official Power roster, but both will see time in the outfield during the 2011 season... 24 of the 25 men on the initial roster were originally drafted or signed by Pittsburgh..

ON THE AIR: All 140 West Virginia Power games can be heard on ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, WV, across the state on the Power Radio Network, and online at milb.com. Adam Marco will call the action for each of the 70 home games this season, while the home team will provide coverage while the Power are on the road.

Check out the Charleston Dirty Birds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from April 10, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central