SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on June 17, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Hagerstown Suns (42-26) at West Virginia Power (22-47)

Game 70 | June 17, 2012 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: ESPN Radio 104.5 FM & 1490 and wvpower.com Air Time- 1:45 pm

TODAY'S MATCHUP

RH Alex Meyer (6-3, 3.31) vs. RH Nick Kingham (1-4, 5.57)

Meyer: Allowed 0 R on 2 H with 5 K and 1 BB over 6.0 IP in 6/12 Win vs. HIC (4-0 Suns in a RS six)

Kingham: Allowed 3 R on 4 H with 2 K and 2 BB over 4.1 IP in 6/12 ND @ LEX (9-7 Power)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia beat Hagerstown 2-1 in 10 innings last night. Both teams scored a run in the second inning, and both pitched well throughout. Dan Gamache scored on a Chris Lashmet single in the second to help tie the game. In the tenth, Taylor Lewis scored on a near inning-ending double play to give the Power the victory. Clario Perez pitched the final two innings to earn his first South Atlantic League victory. Gregory Polanco and Lashmet had multi-hit games to pace the offense.

BONUS BASEBALL: West Virginia is now 2-5 in extra inning games. The Power have fallen in 10 innings four times and in 11 once. Each win has come in 10 innings. West Virginia's only other walk-off win this season was in extra innings on April 13 against Greenville on a wild pitch.

STOPPED AT FOUR: The Power snapped their four game home losing streak with last night's 2-1 win. This stretch of losses was the longest consecutive streak at Appalachian Power Park this season.

NEARLY HALFWAY DONE: West Virginia will finish the first half of the 2012 season with the lowest winning percentage after 70 games in franchise history. The '05 club went 25-45 in the first half (.357 winning percentage). The second lowest percentage after 70 games belongs to the 2009 Power during the first year as a Pirates affiliate (27-43 (.386)).

IN RETROSPECT: Alen Hanson will head into the All-Star break with a team-best average somewhere around .316 (where he stands today entering play), while Matt Benedict will have the staff's best ERA at 3.42. In 2009, Erik Huber led the club at thebreak with a .325 average and Rudy Owens had a 2.05 ERA. In 2010, All-Stars David Rubinstein and Nathan Baker had the team's best individual numbers at .318 and 3.61, respectively. Last year, Matt Curry (who had been promoted on May 30) posted a .361 average prior to the break and Colton Cain held a 3.31 ERA.

THERE GO THE SUNS: West Virginia closes the first half of the 2012 season the same way it began the year; a series against Hagerstown. The Power trail in the all-time series 55-49, but are 24-19 against the Suns at Appalachian Power Park since the start of the 2005 campaign.

THREE STARS HEADED TO ASG: The South Atlantic League announced the 2012 All-Star Game rosters last week and three Power players were selected, including two starters. Alen Hanson will start at second base despite the fact that he has not played there once this season, while Gregory Polanco was selected to start in right field. Like Hanson, Polanco has not played the position he is starting in at all this season. Matt Benedict was chosen as one of the 11 pitchers to represent the Northern Division team in the game to be played at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston, SC, on July 19.

PROMO UPDATE- JULY 4: West Virginia's next BIG 12 promotional night is July 4 at 7:05 pm against Lakewood. The team will host appearances by Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, and Foofa from Yo Gabba Gabba. The evening will end with a post game fireworks show.

POWER POINTS: Hunter Strickland was promoted from Bradenton to Altoona on Friday and made his Double-A debut Friday night. Alen Hanson and Gregory Polanco became the first Power players to reach double digit home runs since the 2010 season... Zack Von Rosenberg struck out five over five an a third (both season-highs) last night but did not factor in the decision.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh knocked out Cleveland 9-2 on the strength of four home runs... Indianapolis fell 5-4 to Charlotte in 11 innings... Altoona beat Binghamton 7-1... Bradenton is idle for the Florida State League All-Star break. The South Squad won 6-3 last night and no Marauders played in the game.

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 June 17, 2012


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