PCL1 New Orleans Baby Cakes

RedHawks Rally Late to Push Past Z's

Published on July 6, 2013 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
New Orleans Baby Cakes News Release


Carlos Perez hit a tiebreaking home run to lead off the top of the ninth inning, completing a late rally for the Oklahoma City RedHawks, who downed the Zephyrs 6-5 on Saturday night.

New Orleans carried a 5-3 lead into the eighth before the RedHawks evened the score against reliever Rob Waite, who failed to retire any of the four batters he faced. Ruben Sosa led off with a single and stole second, and Robbie Grossman walked to put the tying run on base. Jonathan Villar singled up the middle to score Sosa, and Brandon Laird laced a double to the wall in left-center to tie the game.

Zach Phillips inherited runners and second and third and struck out George Springer for the first out of the inning. Following an intentional walk to Marwin Gonzalez, Phillips fanned Jonathan Singleton and got Jose Martinez to pop out to maintain a 5-5 tie.

But Perez drilled a 2-1 offering from Phillips over the left field fence leading off the ninth, and RedHawks closer Josh Zeid worked around a two-out walk to Matt Downs in the bottom of the inning to hand the Zephyrs only their second loss in 37 games this season when leading after seven innings.

The teams traded runs through the early innings, with Oklahoma City breaking on top courtesy of Springer's two-run homer off Z's spot starter Rett Varner in the first. The Zephyrs answered in the bottom half, as Jordan Brown doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Joe Mahoney.

Jake Smolinski belted his fifth home run of the season in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 2-2, and the Zephyrs grabbed the lead an inning later when Gorkys Hernandez singled, stole second and scored on a double play grounder by Brown.

Springer struck again in the fourth, homering to lead off the inning and briefly even the score, but the Zephyrs again came back in the bottom half. Kyle Jensen ripped a double into the left field corner, moved to third on a single by Nick Green and scored on a single by Smolinski . Downs lifted a sacrifice fly one out later to give New Orleans a 5-3 lead.

James Leverton pitched three perfect innings in relief of Varner to hold the lead until the RedHawks ' eighth-inning rally.

Varner was charged with three runs in four innings of his third spot start of the season. RedHawks starter Jarred Cosart, named to the PCL All-Star team earlier in the week, was nicked for five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Jason Stoffel (3-0) was credited with the win while Phillips (4-1) suffered the loss.

The Zephyrs and RedHawks conclude the four-game series on Sunday at 6 p.m.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 6, 2013


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