Smith Shuts out Saltdogs 4-0

Published on May 17, 2011 under American Association (AA)
Grand Prairie AirHogs News Release


GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- After one time through the Grand Prairie AirHogs' starting rotation, each of the five pitchers had worked at least into the sixth inning. With the second turn starting on Tuesday, lefty Greg Smith raised the bar on his teammates, as he hurled a five-hit, no-walk, nine-strikeout shutout against the Lincoln Saltdogs in front of 1,344 at QuikTrip Park to extend the AirHogs' win streak to four.

The former Major Leaguer got the outing off to a good start by striking out Blake Gailen, but then Gavin Dickey singled, and Smith threw low to second on a comebacker by Phil Hawke to put two on with one out. That would be the last time the Saltdogs (2-4) got two runners on base. Smith (1-0) quickly ended that inning with a strike-him-out-throw-him-out double play, whiffing Maikel Jova swinging while Dickey was caught stealing third.

Smith's opposite number in this game, Tim Brown (0-1), kept the AirHogs (4-2) at bay in the first three innings, then worked around two hits to start the bottom of the fourth. But in the sixth, Grand Prairie broke the scoreless tie, with three straight hits from Cesar Nicolas, Greg Porter and John Alonso plating the first run. After a fielder's choice on a sacrifice attempt, David Thomas hooked a liner to right that found the corner for a two-run triple, and Zane Chavez knocked in his first run of the year with a sacrifice fly to greet reliever Tommy Palica.

That was more than enough for Smith, who ended both the second and third innings with pickoffs, worked a scoreless fourth, got a double play in the fifth and did not allow another runner until Gailen's two-out single in the ninth inning. But the lefty from Sulphur, La., reared back and got Dickey to ground out to second on his 120th pitch of the day to complete the first complete-game shutout in the American Association this season, having faced only two batters over the minimum.

Notes: All five Lincoln hits were singles, with the AirHogs now having allowed only six extra-base hits in six games...Between the fifth and ninth innings, Smith retired 13 in a row, one short of John Brownell's best streak in Monday's game...The heart of the Grand Prairie order, Nicolas, Porter and Alonso, each had three hits...The AirHogs have had one triple in each of the last three games.

Once again, the AirHogs are reminding you to sign up for their new text messaging service. Simply text "gpairhogs" (one word, no quotation marks) to 90210 and receive a special thank-you gift for signing up - $5 off any ticket for the AirHogs opening homestand from May 12-18. Simply show the message you receive back when you buy your ticket.

The AirHogs conclude their three-game series, with the Lincoln Saltdogs at 10:35 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18 for second of two Education Days, where local youths will pack the ballpark. Don't miss the renewed commitment to excellence and affordable family entertainment. All games are available with live, free streaming video on ustream.tv. Individual game tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling 972-504-9383 or by visiting www.airhogsbaseball.com.

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American Association Stories from May 17, 2011


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