SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

RiverDogs Romp Braves with 11-run 5th inning, win 15-2

Published on June 3, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


CHARLESTON, S.C. - Anderson Feliz and Kyle Roller clubbed two-run homers to headline a season-best 11-run fifth inning, as the Charleston RiverDogs cruised past the Rome Braves, 15-2, in South Atlantic League action Friday night in front of 5,074 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

Charleston put an emphatic halt to a five-game losing streak in improving to 23-32, while Rome fell to 21-34 in defeat.

The RiverDogs pounded out a season-high 20 hits, and went 10-for-20 with runners in scoring position as eight of the nine starters notched at least two hits and scored at least one run. Kelvin De Leon led the charge with a career-best 4-for-5 outing which included three doubles and four RBI.

All the offense made a winner of Zach Nuding (5-4), who scattered two runs on five hits over 5.0 efficient innings, while striking out three.

Nuding's two-out problems continued in the first inning, as Rome tallied the opening run for the third straight night. Edward Salcedo doubled to the left field corner, and Chris Garcia followed with a ringing double of his own off the base of the right-center field wall to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.

The RiverDogs loaded the bases with nobody out in the second inning, but could not cash in against Braves' starter Aaron Northcraft (2-1). Feliz lined into a tough-luck double play, and Jose Mojica struck out looking on a fastball that painted the inside corner.

Ramon Flores and De Leon delivered the run-scoring hits that have been eluding Charleston in the fourth, as the RiverDogs pushed in front, 2-1. Flores sent Roller home with a RBI single, and raced in from first base to touch the plate on De Leon's rocket of a double to the left-field wall.

Nuding could not hold the advantage for long, as Robby Hefflinger deposited the first pitch of the fifth inning over the centerfield fence to knot the score. The home run was Hefflinger's second of the season, and the sixth of the series for Rome.

A tight affair quickly turned into a blowout as Charleston erupted for an 11-run inning to take a commanding 13-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Feliz and Roller each hammered two-run home runs to headline the RiverDogs' most productive frame of the season. Ten hits - seven of the extra-base variety - were recorded, as 14 men came to the batter's box.

J.R. Murphy got the ball rolling with a RBI single, forcing Northcraft from the mound and jumpstarting a stretch which saw six consecutive RiverDogs reach base, all on base hits. Danilo Alvarez came on out of the Braves' bullpen and was lit up, yielding hits to seven of the nine men he faced.

Roller doubled to left field to chase Murphy to third, and Rob Segedin advanced both around the bases by shooting a double to the left-center field gap for a 5-2 Charleston lead. De Leon followed with a two-run double two batters later, ripping an opposite field shot to the wall in right-center field, upping the advantage to 7-2.

Feliz made the slow gait to the dish next and powered a two-run homer to right field for his third jack of the campaign. Rome had a chance to stop the bleeding at seven runs, when Alvarez fanned Eduardo Sosa, but a passed ball allowed Sosa to get aboard and extend the inning.

Jose Toussen tripled to right field to score Sosa for the second time of the inning. Murphy came to the plate next, and powered his second RBI single of the inning, serving an opposite field liner to drive home Toussen.

Matt Suschak relieved Alvarez, but the horror-show still wasn't over for the Braves. Suschak uncorked a wild pitch, and Roller mashed his club-leading ninth home run of the year deep over the palmetto trees in right, taking the team lead in RBI in the process to push Charleston ahead at 13-2.

The RiverDogs got right back at it in the sixth with two more tallies off Suschak. Flores worked a leadoff walk, and scored his third run of the night on De Leon's third double of the game. Jose Mojica accounted for the final score of the 15-run attack, chasing home De Leon on a ground ball double play.

Tommy Kahnle and Yobanny Reyes finished out the victory with four scoreless innings of relief, permitting only one hit. Kahnle was particularly impressive, striking out four over 3.0 innings.

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 3, 2011


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