SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

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


West Virginia Power (29-24, 52-71) at Kannapolis Intimidators (21-31, 54-68)

Game 124 | August 17, 2012 | CMC-NorthEast Stadium | Kannapolis, NC

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

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

LH Zac Fuesser (3-6, 3.83) vs. RH Euclides Leyer (1-1, 7.59)

Fuesser: Allowed 0 R on 0 H with 2 K and 0 BB over 1.0 relief IP on 8/14 vs. GBO (4-3 Grasshoppers)

Leyer: Surrendered 8 R on 8 H over 5.2 IP with 2 K and 3 BB in 8/11 Loss @ LWD (8-5 BlueClaws)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia fell 4-3 in 13 innings at Kannapolis last night. Starters Robby Rowland and Matt Lane matched zeros over the first six innings before Eric Avila hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh. The Intimidators took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning and knocked Rowland from the game. The game was tied at three after eight and was later forced to extras. In the bottom of the 13th with two outs, Kannapolis loaded the bases against Emmanuel De Leon. Courtney Hawkins singled off the third base bag to bring home the winning run.

BONUS BASEBALL: West Virginia is now 2-6 in extra inning games this year. The Power have fallen in 10 innings four times and in 11 once prior to last evenings game, which is now the longest of the year in both time and innings.

PUT ON THE SPOT: Zac Fuesser will be called upon to make a spot start for the Power tonight. The southpaw was a member of the Power rotation at the beginning of the year, but has not made a start since May 12. As a starter this season, Fuesser is 0-1 with a 5.34 ERA. Over 20 relief outings, he has gone 3-5 with a 3.14 ERA. With three innings pitched, Fuesser could take over the team's ERA lead.

DIVISIONAL BATTLE: The Power continue their weekend set in Kannapolis tonight. The Intimidators lead the all-time series by an eight win margin at 44-36 after taking three out of for in Charleston over Memorial Day weekend and walking off last night. The Power are 17-22 in Kannapolis at the stadium now known as CMC-Northeast Stadium (formerly FieldCrest Cannon Stadium).

A HALF BACK: West Virginia bounced back to second place in the division after Thursday's loss. Hagerstown has a half game lead at the top of the SAL Northern Division standings. The Power are a full game in front of Hickory with 17 games remaining this season, including four against the Crawdads.

SAVING THE GAME: Nathan Kilcrease earned his 12th save of the year in Wednesday's win. The right-hander is two behind the Power record of 14 set in 2005 by Robert Hinton. Kilcrease is 12 for 12 in save chances this season.

FYI: Head-to-head matchup records are the first tie-breaker to determine the division champion in the event that second half records are even. The Power have beaten the BlueClaws in the season series, lost to the Suns and Hoppers, and can still split the Crawdads. The second and third tie-breakers are based on records against divisional opponents.

STREAK NEWS: Francisco Diaz, Gregory Polanco, and Jose Osuna all carry sizable hitting streak into their next games. Diaz is batting .500 over his last 12 games and had matched the second longest hitting streak by a Power player this season. Polanco's streak is at nine games while Osuna's has reached eight straight. This is Osuna's sixth streak of six or more games, most of any player on the team.

POWER POINTS: Power pitching coach Willie Glen left the club over the weekend to celebrate the birth of his first child. Pittsburgh has sent Rehab Coordinator Miguel Bonilla to Charleston to serve as the team's interim pitching coach while Glen is on paternity leave... Gregory Polanco has not played since leaving the August 9 game at Lexington with an ankle injury... Alen Hanson has walked eight times this month, six of which have come over his last three games.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh beat the LA Dodgers 106 on the strength of two three-run homers by Garrett Jones... Indianapolis fell 2-1 at Rochester in 10 innings... Altoona dropped a 2-1 final at Portland... Bradenton edged Charlotte 5-4... State College beat Jamestown 9-3.

ON THE AIR: All 140 West Virginia Power games can be heard on ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, WV 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 August 17, 2012


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.

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