SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on May 28, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Lakewood BlueClaws (19-30) at West Virginia Power (15-35)

Game 51 | May 28, 2012 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: ESPN Radio 104.5 FM & 1490 and wvpower.com Air Time- 4:45 pm

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

RH Kenneth Giles (0-2, 4.26) vs. LH Zack Dodson (1-4, 5.77)

Giles: Allowed 1 R on 3 H with 4 K and 3 BB over 4.2 IP in 5/23 ND vs. DEL (3-2 BlueClaws in 11)

Dodson: Allowed 1 R on 1 H with 2 K and 3 BB over 4.0 IP in 5/22 ND @ LEX (3-2 Legends)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia lost 5-3 to Kannapolis on Saturday night. The Intimidators built a 3-0 lead after three innings against starter Ryan Hafner, but the Power rallied to tie the game in the fifth. Alen Hanson doubled in a pair of runs with the bases loaded and Kirk Singer scored on a sac fly to even the score at three. Kannapolis took the lead back in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Rangel Ravelo and added an insurance run in the ninth. Zac Fuesser took the loss as the Intimidators claimed three out of four games in the series.

TIME TO GET CRACKING: Tonight's game marks the first meeting between West Virginia and Lakewood this season and only series between the clubs during the first half of the season. The Power trail 52-41 in the all-time series, including 23 wins in 54 games at Appalachian Power Park (a .426 winning percentage. West Virginia and Lakewood will face off 16 times during 70 second half games this year.

FOUR SPOT: On Saturday night, Alen Hanson became the second Power player to have a four hit game this season. Gregory Polanco had four hits in West Virginia's 9-6 win on April 30 against Greensboro. Hanson leads the league with 66 hits and the four-hit game helped raise his average to .338, the third highest mark in the SAL.

RELIEVER SWAP: The Pittsburgh Pirates made a roster move for West Virginia on Saturday. The Pirates have promoted Vince Payne to the Power bullpen from State College. Payne was added to the Power roster in April and made three appearances spanning six and a third innings pitched with a 12.79 ERA. To make room for Payne on the roster, Pittsburgh transferred Emmanuel De Leon to the Spikes roster. De Leon was 1-3 with a 7.54 ERA over 16 games for the Power this year, his first in the SAL.

DAY OFF... NOW GO: West Virginia will play 20 games over the next 21 days. After this series against Lakewood, the Power travel to Hickory for four games, play Delmarva at home in a three game set, and have a day off on June 8. The club concludes the first half of the season with a six-game road trip to Asheville and Lexington before playing Hagerstown from June 14 through 17 prior to the All-Star break.

SEASON'S BEST: Matt Benedict pitched seven innings in game one of Friday's doubleheader. It was the longest start by any Power pitcher this season. The previous season-best was six innings, a feat accomplished seven times, including twice by Benedict prior to Friday. The right-hander is slated to start Wednesday's finale against Lakewood.

PROMO UPDATE- JUNE 15: West Virginia will hold Pink Power Night on June 15 against the Hagerstown Suns. The team will don pink jerseys that will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Komen for the Cure Foundation.

POWER POINTS: Fans can vote for the 2012 SAL All-Star game at the West Virginia Power's Facebook page. A new position is being voted on daily until May 31... Mike Jefferson joined Joan Montero as the only Power players to allow three home runs in a single game on Friday night... Chris Lashmet became the first position player to pitch for West Virginia this season. Infielder Kevin Mort made three appearances last year on the mound, the last of which was in August against Greensboro.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh beat the Chicago Cubs 10-4. The Pirates hit three home runs and used a six-run sixth inning to help secure the first series sweep of the season... Indianapolis gave up seven in the ninth in a 9-4 loss to Louisville... Altoona was doubled up 4-2 by Bowie... Bradenton lost 5-3 at Jupiter. Justin Howard hit his first home run of the season in the loss.

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.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 28, 2012


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