SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on June 23, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Lexington Legends (0-2, 39-32) at West Virginia Power (2-0, 25-47)

Game 73 | June 23, 2012 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: ESPN Radio 104.5 FM & 1490 and wvpower.com Air Time- 6:45 pm

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

RH Jonas Dufek (4-1, 4.87) vs. RH Ryan Hafner (0-4, 6.34)

Dufek: Allowed 1 R on 3 H with 7 K and 2 BB over 7.0 IP in 6/16 Win vs. ASH (4-1 LEX)

Hafner: Allowed 2 R on 3 H with 0 K and 3 BB over 2.0 Relief IP on 6/13 @ LEX (9-2 Legends)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia beat Lexington 5-2 on Friday night. Eric Avila doubled in the game's first run then scored on a pickoff attempt for a 2-0 Power lead. Each team scored a run in the fourth, and Gregory Polanco made it a 5-1 game with a double that plated a pair in the fifth. Robby Rowland notched his third win on his third quality start of the season. Rinku Singh allowed a home run in relief of Rowland before Nathan Kilcrease shut the door for his third save. With the victory, West Virginia earned at least a split of this series.

FOUR AND LOOKING FOR MORE: The Power have won four straight dating back to the first half and look to set a new season high for consecutive wins tonight. West Virginia has only had four straight victories once this season (the first four home games of the year against Greenville).

ROTATION RETURN: Ryan Hafner will re-enter the Power rotation when he makes the start tonight. Hafner was promoted to the West Virginia roster on April 24 and made eight turns in the rotation before being sent to the bullpen when Zack Von Rosenberg was added to the roster on June 4. As a starter, Hafner is 0-4 with a 6.96 ERA. Durinf two relief outings, the right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) over six innings in two appearances (0-0, 3.00).

FOUR SCORE: On Thursday night, Taylor Lewis became the third Power player to drive in four runs in a game this season. Kirk Singer drove in four in his 2012 debut against Hagerstown on April 8, while Willy Garcia drove in four in a June 9 win at Asheville. Lewis has hit safely in all six games he has played in since joining the Power roster on June 14.

WIN OR DRAW: With wins on Thursday and Friday, the Power have guaranteed at least a series split with the Legends. A victory tonight or tomorrow afternoon would give West Virginia just its fourth series win this season. The team have lost 15 series and split two times so far in 2012.

POWER V. LEGENDS: The Power lead the all-time series 77-71. West Virginia holds a 41-34 mark at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, but have only gone 36-37 at home against the Legends since Appalachian Power Park opened in 2005.

FIRST HALF RECAP: West Virginia finished the first half of the season with a 23-47 record, which was the lowest winning percentage (.329) in any half since the team became known as the Power in 2005. The club finished the first half with a .257 average (third best mark after the first 70 games) and a 5.28 ERA (highest ever after the first half). West Virginia went 16-18 at home and 7-29 away from Appalachian Power Park (fewest road wins by any team in the league in any half since 2005).

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: Eric Avila has three straight two-hit games... Willy Garcia has a 16 game on-base streak intact entering his next game. Garcia is, however, 0-11 in his last four games and two for his last 22 spanning seven games... Power pitchers have a 4.49 ERA after 18 June games.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh knocked off Detriot 4-1 at PNC Park. Coupled with Cincinnati's loss, the Pirates now trail the Reds by one game in the NL Central.... Indianapolis beat Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre 4-2... Altoona lost 4-3 to Akron... Bradenton dropped an 11-3 final at Charlotte Charlotte 10-3. Matt Benedict allowed four runs and took the loss... State College shutout Mahoning Valley 4-0. Clay Holmes stuck out five and earned the win.

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 23, 2012


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