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NYPL Norwich Sea Unicorns

Sanz Nearly Perfect and Tigers Sweep Doubleheader

September 2, 2011 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Norwich Sea Unicorns News Release


NORWICH, CT - The Connecticut Tigers swept the doubleheader with the Lowell Spinners on Friday night at Dodd Stadium, taking the opener 10-1 and the nightcap 4-3, to extend their lead in the Stedler division over the Vermont Lake Monsters.

With the two wins, despite a Vermont win, the Tigers are a full game up on the Lake Monsters with two games remaining in the regular season for both teams. Connecticut can clinch the division tomorrow night with a win and a Vermont loss.

Luis Angel Sanz was two outs away from throwing a perfect game for the Tigers in the opening game. After retiring 19 Spinners batters in a row, Jose Garcia took a 3-2 pitch with one out in the seventh inning and belted it over the wall in left field to not only break up the perfect game, but also to take away the shutout. Sanz earned his team-leading sixth win of the year and lowered his ERA to 2.81 on the season, while he struck out seven and now leads the league with 76 strikeouts this year.

The Tigers offense exploded for six runs in the second inning and four more in the third all coming off of Lowell starter Hunter Cervenka. In the second Zach Maggard and Jeff Holm hit back-to-back one-out singles and Matt Perry drew a walk to load the bases. Luis Alberto Sanz produced the first run on a fielder's choice and Javier Azcona followed with a three-run homer, his fifth of the season. Chad Wright and Eugenio Suarez then drew walks and Tyler Collins smashed a two-run double extending the lead to 6-0. They added the four runs in the third with a bases loaded walk to Chad Wright and a three-run double from Eugenio Suarez.

After nearly no offense in game one, the Spinners offense got off to an early start in the nightcap.

Keury De La Cruz led off the game with a single and Jose Garcia followed with an RBI triple. Garcia would score on a Travis Shaw groundout and three batters into the game the Tigers trailed 2-0.

However, Connecticut would crawl right back into the game. In the bottom of the first Wright got aboard with a walk, moved to second on a stolen base and scored on a Collins RBI base knock. The Tigers then tied the game at two in the second frame. Holm started with a base hit, advanced to second on a stolen base and scored when Patrick Leyland reached on an error.

Lowell took the lead back in third when De La Cruz reached on a Javier Azcona fielding error and he came in to score on a Matt Marquis RBI single putting the Spinners up 3-2.

But the Tigers would fight back and tie the game in the bottom of the third when Collins led off by slamming his team-leading eighth home run of the season, a solo shot to right field. In the fourth inning Matt Perry started off with a single and moved to second on a sac bunt from Leyland. Perry got up to third on a wild pitch and scored the winning run when Wright hit into a fielder's choice.

The Tigers will play game three of the four-game series with Lowell tomorrow night, which is Norwich Navigators Night at Dodd. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM.

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