Silver Hawks' Stellar Defense Catches TipCaps

August 8, 2013 - Midwest League (MWL1)
South Bend Silver Hawks News Release


On a night when the teams traded home runs early, defense made the difference as the South Bend Silver Hawks cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps Thursday night at Coveleski Regional Stadium. After Fort Wayne third baseman Diego Goris hustled around to the bases to post an inside the park homerun in the top of the second inning, left fielder Alex Glenn answered for South Bend in the bottom half of the inning with an outside-the-parker over the right field fence. Stellar defensive plays by outfielders Socrates Brito and Glenn kept Fort Wayne off the board for the rest of game.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps, Class-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, took an early lead in the second inning thanks to a rare inside the park homerun. Goris laced a 1-1 pitch into right field. Charging hard on the play, Hawks right fielder Brito came up just short of making the catch as the ball landed in front of him inside the foul line. Brito's momentum carried him towards the hill in the right field corner, causing him to hurdle the fence and into the seating area as the ball lay in right allowing Goris to circle the bases and give the TinCaps a 1-0 lead.

South Bend (72-44, 28-19) struck back in the bottom of the frame to knot the score. Left fielder Glenn took a 2-1 offering from TinCaps starter Bryan Rodriguez (L, 2-6) over the right field wall for his 11 th homer of the year.

The TinCaps (60-55, 17-29) threatened in the fifth inning. Right fielder Corey Adamson and second baseman Reynaldo Bruguera drew back-to-back walks off Hawks starter Kyle Winkler. Center fielder Alberth Martinez followed with a single to shallow center to load the bases. Winkler (W, 3-3) induced a groundball to third from Goris that went for a fielder's choice as third baseman Brandon Drury threw home to get Adamson at the plate. A fly ball to right by left fielder Luis Domoromo ended the potential TinCaps rally without a run crossing the plate. Winkler would pitch 6 1/3 innings, only giving up one earned run on five hits and three walks, while striking out four.

The Silver Hawks were able to jump in front in the bottom of the fifth. Center fielder Breland Almadova led off with a groundball off the third base side of the mound to reach on an infield single. Almadova advanced to second on a wild pitch by Rodriguez and then moved up to third on a 4-3 groundout by Glenn. Catcher Michael Perez followed, lofting a ball into left field for a sacrifice fly as Almadova score to put the Hawks in front 2-1.

The Hawks added another run in the sixth for a 3-1 lead. Shortstop Andrew Velazquez lined a single into left, but was able to advance to second as left fielder Luis Domoromo was unable to cleanly pick up the ball, resulting in E-7 fielding. Velazquez moved up to third on a 4-3 groundout by second baseman Fidel Pena. Brito followed with a grounder to short for a fielder's choice as shortstop Tyler Stubblefield fired home in an attempt to get Velazquez who was on the move. Stubblefield's throw was on time and on target, but fell out of the glove of catcher Rodney Daal, allowing Velazquez to score on the error. South Bend continued to threaten in the inning as Brito stole second and Drury drew a walk. After a double steal by Brito and Drury to put them at third and second respectively, the TinCaps decided to intentionally walk designated hitter Rudy Flores to load the bases. The move paid off as Rodriguez was able to hold off a further Hawks rally as Almadova grounded to third for a fielder's choice with Brito getting thrown out at the plate. The inning ended with a 3-1 groundout by Glenn.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth, South Bend started another rally. Brito singled to right off TinCap reliever Jorge Guzman and then stole second for this third swiped base on the night. Flores had the bat taken out of his hand as he drew his second intentional walk of the night and third of the homestand. The free pass proved costly this time for the TinCaps as Almadova singled to center to bring Brito home to give the Hawks a 4-1 lead.

Enrique Garcia and Enrique Burgos combined to shut the door on the TinCaps. Garica entered in the seventh and held the TinCaps at bay for 1 2/3 innings. Burgos (S, 17) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, recording two strikeouts on pitches reaching upwards of 97 mph.

The Hawks and TinCaps will be back in action in the series finale on Friday night at 7:35pm. Blake Perry (6-5, 3.99 ERA) will toe the rubber for South Bend while Joe Ross (4-6, 3.53 ERA) will take the hill for Fort Wayne. Make sure to come out early to the Cove for a plethora of promotions. It's Faith Night, featuring a pre-game performance by Joanna Beasley. There will be wine tastings thanks to Barefoot Wine as well as a Silver Hawks poster giveaway to the first 2,000 fans through the gates. Stick around after the game for the Friday Fireworks Spectacular.



Midwest League Stories from August 8, 2013


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