
Saints march in to edge AirHogs
August 26, 2009 - American Association (AA)
Grand Prairie AirHogs News Release
Grand Prairie, TX. The pitching duel between the Grand Prairie AirHogs and St. Paul Saints continued into Tuesday night's game with a combined 9-hits-allowed appearance by starters Cody Crowell (GP) and Tom Buske (STP) and a 1-0 lead for St. Paul until the eighth inning.
In the top of the fourth inning, Steve Mays led off with a double to right center off of Crowell and advanced to 3rd when catcher JB Tucker made a pick-off attempt that sailed into centerfield. After starter Crowell retired two consecutive batters, Josh Alley singled to center scoring Mays to take the 1-0 lead before Brent Krause struck out to retire the side.
The score would remain locked at 1-0 until the bottom of the eighth inning when Chad Gabriel reached first base on a throwing error by 3rd baseman Steve Butler. JB Tucker sacrificed Gabriel to 2nd with a bunt before Drew Holder grounded out to short, advancing Gabriel to 3rd. Joseph Spiers followed with a well-placed single to right, scoring Gabriel and tying the game at 1-1.
The difference would be made in the top of the ninth inning when the Saints' Jacob Butler led off with a base-hit off of reliever Greg Krause. After a walk was issued to Jeff Eure, James Morrison was sent in to pitch for the âHogs with runners at 1st and 2nd and no outs. After striking out Andrew Schmiesing, Morrison faced Anthony Norman who was sent in to pinch-hit for the Saints. Norman grounded in to a fielder's choice for the 2nd out of the inning, leaving runners on the corners with two outs. Steve Butler singled up the middle to score Jacob Butler while Norman advanced to 3rd on the hit. Alex Fonseca singled to left scoring Norman to bump the lead to 3-1 before Josh Alley struck out to end the inning.
Despite a two-walk, two-hit-by-pitch allowance to add another run in the bottom half of the ninth for the AirHogs, Grand Prairie's offense was not able to come up with a hit, leaving the bases loaded when the game expired at a final score of 3-2.
Cody Crowell threw 117 pitches over 7.1 innings and gave up only one run on five hits, and struck out six on the night. Tom Buske lasted 7.1 innings and gave up zero runs on four hits and struck out two. The only multi-games belonged to Javier Brito (2-4), Alex Fonseca (2-5, 1 RBI), and Josh Alley (2-5, 1 RBI).
The series continues tomorrow between the Grand Prairie AirHogs and the St. Paul Saints starting at 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 6 p.m. For tickets, call 972.504.9383 or visit www.airhogsbaseball.com.
American Association Stories from August 26, 2009
- American Association Recap - AA
- Saint Paul Edges Grand Prairie 11-8 - Grand Prairie AirHogs
- Explorers Take Home Finale 4-2 - Sioux City Explorers
- Saints Alive and Well in 11-8 ComeBack Win - St. Paul Saints
- Mallett spoils regular season home finale - Shreveport-Bossier Captains
- Cats edge Pelicans in ninth 1-0 - Fort Worth Cats
- Dogs Suffer Third Straight Extra-Inning Loss - Lincoln Saltdogs
- Lightning strikes thrice for Wingnuts - Wichita Wingnuts
- Mallett Delivers Blow to Captains - El Paso Diablos
- Birds Left Stranded, Lose 4-2 In Road Finale - Sioux Falls Canaries
- Pelicans Vie For Playoff Spot - Pensacola Pelicans
- Festival of Beers Comes to Birdcage on September 19th - Sioux Falls Canaries
- American Association Recap - AA
- Captains hold on 4-3 to ensure meaningful weekend - Shreveport-Bossier Captains
- Saints march in to edge AirHogs - Grand Prairie AirHogs
- Mattison Magnificent in Pelicans Debut; Pels Need Two Wins To Clinch Playoff Spot - Pensacola Pelicans
- Mattison Magnificent in Pelicans Debut; Pels Need Two Wins To Clinch Playoff Spot - Pensacola Pelicans
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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