TL1 Arkansas Travelers

Schugel and Company Blank Drillers

Published on July 13, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release


NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Six shutout innings from starter A.J. Schugel and three more from a trio of relievers garner the Arkansas Travelers a 3-0 win over the Tulsa Drillers in front of a crowd of 5,072 on Friday night at Dickey-Stephens Park. Friday's win is the second straight win for the Travelers over the Drillers, and it is also the first time since July 24th and 25th of last year that the Travelers have taken two straight from Tulsa.

The Drillers (8-12, 48-42) attempted to get to Schugel early in the game as Mike Mitchell ripped the second pitch of the night down the left field line for a leadoff double. Schugel, who had been winless in his last four starts, stranded Mitchell at second by retiring the next three Drillers in order to get out of the mini jam.

A great defensive play to start the second inning erased what was already a double when Corey Dickerson was thrown out trying to stretch that double into a triple. The highlight of that play was Travs' shortstop, Jean Segura's, off-balance relay throw to gun Dickerson at third. Schugel then gave up a hit to left field that would have scored Dickerson had he not been thrown out, but an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play on the next batter got Schugel out the inning unscathed. Schugel would flirt with giving up a run throughout the game as he worked only one perfect inning, but the right-hander found ways to pitch around the runners on base through his six innings on the bump.

Schugel was backed early by his offense as the Travs' (9-11, 36-34) strung together four straight two-out hits in the bottom of the first inning to jump out to an early 2-0 lead. All the Travs' first inning damage was done against Drillers' starter Dan Houston, and would prove to be the worst inning by far of Houston's outing. In fact, Houston retired 16 out of the last 17 batters he faced, and had retired 12 batters in a row until Segura singled in the fifth inning.

Clinging to the two-run cushion they got in the first inning, the Travs struck for an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning to increase their lead to 3-0. In that inning, Renny Osuna extended his on-base streak to 20 games when he doubled down the left field line with one out. A passed ball by Drillers' catcher, Jose Gonzalez, advanced Osuna to third base and set up Roberto Lopez for an easier RBI opportunity. Lopez would not be able to come through, however, as he struck out on a nasty slider. The Travs' cleanup man, Brian Hernandez, would pick up Lopez and drove in Osuna on a sharp single.

Now with a three-run lead, Travs' closer Kevin Johnson came on for his second straight save opportunity. Johnson collected the save a night ago in a similar situation. Johnson quickly recorded the first out on a groundout and then nearly saw the Travs' shutout attempt disappear as Ben Paulsen, who took Johnson deep last night, saw Tyson Auer nab his drive at the wall in right-centerfield. Following a walk to Dickerson, Johnson, more so out of reaction, wrapped up the game when he snagged a liner at his hip off the bat of Kent Matthes.

Schugel was the pitcher of record for the Travs and collects his fourth win of the season and lowers his ERA to 3.05 in the process. Johnson nets his ninth save of the year. Houston is saddled with the loss and falls to 7-8 on the season. The 3-0 shutout victory is the Travs' fifth shutout of the second half.

The Travs will now look to take the series as the third game of the four-game set is scheduled for a 7:10 pm first pitch on Saturday night at Dickey-Stephens Park.

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Texas League Stories from July 13, 2012


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