Summer Arrives with Caps Home Opener
June 1, 2011 - North American League (NAmL)
Edmonton Capitals News Release
Edmonton, AB - A crowd of more than 3,500 took in the Edmonton Capitals' 2011 Home Opener on Tuesday night at TELUS Field, but the Calgary Vipers were too much for the home side to handle and emerged with an 11-2 victory.
The Caps opened the 2011 North American League season with a double-header sweep in Calgary on Sunday, winning 3-0 and 13-5, but they couldn't extend their winning streak against their provincial rivals to three games on Tuesday.
The Vipers' most lethal bite of the night came, oddly enough, from pitcher J.J. Whetsel, who hit a towering three-run home run to cap off a six-run seventh inning that sealed the victory for the visitors. Jimmy Rohan also knocked in three runs for Calgary, while their starting pitcher Manny Ayala held the Caps to just three hits and no runs in 5.1 innings of work.
The seventh inning was also Edmonton's best at the plate, as they knocked in their two runs on a double by right fielder Tom Collaro and a single by shortstop Enrique Cruz. Second baseman Alex Chavez scored one run, while Cruz scored the other. The shortstop leads the Caps with a .417 average through three regular season games.
Albie Lopez, who has played 297 career MLB games and won a World Series with Arizona in 2001, started on the mound for the Caps, but he was forced to leave the game with stiffness in his calf after just 1.1 innings. Mike Hrynio, Rory Shortell, Jorge Vasquez, David Davidson and Chad Blackwell combined to round out Edmonton's pitching effort.
"We had opportunities early in the game to generate some offence, but we failed to capitalize and it ended up costing us," Caps Manager Orv Franchuk said. "It's tough when you don't win in front of such a great home crowd, but the fans supported us all game long, which was awesome to see. We're looking forward to playing for our fans all season long."
It's a quick turnaround for the Caps (2-1) and Vipers (2-3), as they play their fourth game in a row against each other on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at TELUS Field for the third annual Home Run Hooky game. It's also the first K97 Wiener Wednesday of the season, as hot dogs are just $2 all day long.
The Capitals are the city's most affordable entertainment option in the summer featuring Edmonton's largest patio! Season seats start at less than $9 per seat. Individual game tickets start at $10 in advance and can be purchased at the Capitals Box Office (10233 - 96 Ave) during regular business hours Monday through Friday, at any Ticketmaster location, online at capsbaseball.ca or via phone at 780-414-GOAL (4625).
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