Richards Leads Travs To Victory
Published on July 30, 2011 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
North Little Rock - The Travs snapped their four-game losing streak with a 4-0 shutout of the Tulsa Drillers on Saturday, July 30, at Dickey-Stephens Park. Travs' starter Garrett Richards got his 12th win of the year in front of an announced crowd of 6,875, tying him with the minor-league lead.
The righty Richards (12-1, 3.03) pitched eight scoreless innings giving up four hits and two walks, while tying a season-high with nine strike outs. It was Richards' 18th consecutive start with at least six innings pitched.
The Travs (16-19) hit back-to-back home runs as part of a three-run fourth inning. After first baseman Gabe Jacobo struck out to lead off, designated hitter Roberto Lopez hit a solo shot onto the left-field berm off of Tulsa starter Cory Riordan to get the scoring started. Travs' catcher Orlando Mercado followed with a home run not far from where Lopez' shot landed. Left fielder Chris Pettit singled to right field the next at bat, moved to second on Darwin Perez' ground out to second base, and scored when third baseman Jon Townsend doubled to the left-center field gap to make it 3-0.
Riordan (1-11, 5.81) picked up the loss giving up three runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out four without a walk.
Riordan's 11 losses give him the most in the Texas League. Drillers' reliever Casey Weathers struck out Rian Kiniry to start the bottom of the seventh and walked the next two Travs. Jacobo scored Matt Cusick with a single to right field to make it a 4-0 Travs' lead. With men at first and third with one out, Lopez hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
The Travs threatened in the bottom of the first when Jacobo hit a two-out single to right field and Lopez followed with a double to put Jacobo at third base. Catcher Mercado had a home run distance foul ball before he flew out to right field to end the inning.
The Drillers' (17-18) best chance to score came when they loaded the bases in the top of the fourth inning. Hector Gomez led off with a double to left field, but Richards got a fly out and struck catcher Wilin Rosario for the second out. Richards walked the next two batters to load the bases, but struck out designated hitter Mike Zuanich on three pitches to get out of the inning.
Travs reliever David Carpenter pitched a scoreless ninth inning, giving up a hit and striking out one.
Both teams left seven men on base, but the Travs batted 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position and the Drillers were hitless in six at bats with RISP. The Travs outhit the Drillers 8-5 after mustering only three hits in their previous game when Tulsa shut them out.
Jacobo, Lopez and Mercado each went 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Travs, and Townsend went 1 for 4 with an RBI. Lopez' home run was his fifth in the Travs' past six games.
Gomez picked up three of the Drillers' five hits going 3 for 4 in a game that lasted two hours and 36 minutes.
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