Can-Am Brockton Rox

Rox split twin bill

Published on August 11, 2011 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Brockton Rox News Release


Worcester, Mass. - After the Worcester Tornadoes (16-6, 37-32) took the opening game 4-0, the Brockton Rox (16-7, 42-27) retaliated with a 3-1 victory in game two, as the Massachusetts rivals split a series opening doubleheader on a wet Wednesday night at Hanover Insurance Park.

Worcester got on the scoreboard almost immediately in game one on a Mark Minicozzi opposite field two-run homer against Mike Smith (8-5) in the bottom of the first inning.

With the Rox trailing 2-0 after just one and one half frames, the skies opened up with a massive thunder shower, causing a rain delay of two hours and four minutes between the top and the bottom of the second inning.

When play resumed, Smith remained in the game and gave up a double to Nick Salotti and an RBI single to Tony Patane that increased the Tornadoes lead to 3-0.

Smith lasted five and 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits in the loss. The final tally for Worcester came on an Alex Trezza solo blast in the sixth.

On the opposite side, Zach Zuercher (11-4) also stayed in the ballgame after the lengthy delay and notched his fourth straight win while tossing five and 1/3 scoreless innings and striking out five. The righthander extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 25 and 1/3, but needed help from the bullpen to do so.

The best scoring chance for the Rox came in the top of the sixth after Zuercher gave up back-to-back singles to Mike Torres and Shawn Williams and then exited after walking Keith Brachold to load the bases.

Returning from the disabled list, Williams' pinch hit single extended his hit streak to 13 games and his on base streak to 29 games in the switch hitter's first action since July 26.

Albert Ayala entered and retired the next two and Nick Serrino added a scoreless seventh to seal the game one victory for Worcester in an affair that took nearly four hours (3:51) to complete.

Game two began much like the first, with the Tornadoes striking in the bottom of the first inning. This time it was a leadoff walk by Alex Nunez that was cashed in on a double by Abraham Nunez to make the score 1-0.

Despite putting runners on base in the next six frames, Worcester would fail to scratch another run against Jake Loye (3-4) and the Brockton bullpen.

After failing to score with the bases loaded in the fourth inning, the Rox finally got on the board in the fifth. Dan Barbero led off with a double against Ryan Bicondoa (ND, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) and then advanced to third base on a passed ball. Tucker Nathans followed with a grounder to second base the resulted in an error and his first of two RBIs, tying the game at one.

The Rox took their first and final lead of the night against Ayala (1-4) in the sixth, scoring two unearned runs on two errors, a wild pitch and a Nathans single to make the score 3-1.

The Tornadoes stranded nine in total as Loye picked up the win after five innings of work allowing one run on four hits.

Jimmer Kennedy struck out one in a scoreless sixth before Jake Hale (12) shut things down in the seventh, while also striking out one and collecting his twelfth save.

More than six hours after the first pitch, the teams ended up right back where they started the night, with the Rox trailing the Tornadoes by one half game in the second half standings. The rubber match is set for Thursday at 7:05 p.m. in a contest scheduled between Freddy Flores (6-5, 3.90) and Shawn Gilblair (4-5, 4.37), before the Rox head to Pittsfield to wrap up the roadtrip with a weekend series against the Colonials.

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Canadian American League Stories from August 11, 2011


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