SAL1 Hagerstown Suns

Rain can't stop Suns as Hagerstown shines against Captains

Published on June 28, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hagerstown Suns News Release


EASTLAKE, OH - Heavy rains delayed the start of the game on Saturday, but the Suns (7-3) came back with five runs in the eighth inning to defeat the Lake County Captains (4-6) 6-4 in the first game of a two-game series.

The Captains opened the scoring in the third inning with two runs off Suns starter Erik Arnesen. Arnesen did not factor in the decision as he lasted five innings and allowed just two earned runs while striking out six.

Lake County extended their lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning on three hits against reliever Chris Lugo, but the Suns responded with a run of their own in the top of the seventh as Michael Burgess doubled and eventually scored on a ground-out by Tim Pahuta.

After Lugo held the Captains in check in the bottom of the seventh, the Suns bats came alive against the Lake County bullpen. Back-to-back walks issued to Boomer Whiting and Dan Lyons to lead off the eighth started the rally for Hagerstown and chased Captains reliever John Gaub from the game. Dallas Cawiezell, a SAL All-Star, replaced Gaub and the first batter he faced, Stephen King, singled to right field, scoring Whiting and sending Lyons to third base.

After two quick outs, Sean Rooney singled, driving in Lyons and sending King around to third base. Valerio Heredia pinch-ran for Rooney and King scored on a double to left field by Tim Pahuta, giving the Suns a 5-4 lead. A wild pitch and an infield single by Mark Gildea extended the Suns lead to 6-4.

Relievers Jamie Lehman and Kyle Gunderson combined to shut down the Captains offense in the eighth and ninth innings to seal the victory for Hagerstown. Gunderson earned his fourth save of the season, and Lugo (2-0) picked up the victory.

Things did get interesting in the ninth, however, as with one out and one runner on, Captains left fielder Roman Pena hit a long drive to left field. The winds at Classic Park were blowing out to left field, and Aaron Seuss made a leaping catch to save what could have been a game-tying home run.

Captains starter Ryan Miller was very effective, as he allowed just two hits and no runs in six innings of work.

Game two of the short series will take place on Sunday, June 29th at 1:05 p.m. After the game the Suns will return to Hagerstown to take on the Lakewood BlueClaws in another two-game series.

The Suns currently lead the SAL Northern Division by one game over the West Virginia Power.

The Hagerstown Suns play at Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown, MD and are a Class "A" affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Ticket packages and sponsorships are available by calling the Suns at 301-791-6266. Visit the Suns on the web at www.hagerstownsuns.com. The Suns are owned by Los Angeles based Mandalay Baseball Properties.

Check out the Hagerstown Suns Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 28, 2008


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