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PCL1 Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Makes it "Rain" in Series Opener

April 16, 2008 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


FRESNO, CA - Tacoma scored nine runs in the 4th inning Tuesday night on their way to a 14-6 win over the Grizzlies in the series lid-lifter at Chukchansi Park. Three different Rainiers had three-hit ballgames, while Brian Horwitz connected for his first home run of the season in the loss.

Fresno starter Julio Mateo worked in and out of trouble in the first three innings, allowing at least one baserunner per frame but no runs. In the fourth, that all changed. After retiring the first batter of the inning, the right-hander allowed eight of the next nine Rainiers to reach base, with the only out coming on a sacrifice fly. When Mateo was removed from the game his replacement, Randy Messenger, surrendered a long home run to Bryan LaHair. All told, Tacoma pushed nine runs across in the 4th inning.

Tacoma starter Robert Rohrbaugh took a no-hitter into the fifth inning but then issued back-to-back, two-out walks to bring Brian Horwitz to the plate. Horwitz jumped on a 2-0 fastball from Rohrbaugh and hammered it over the right-center field wall for the Grizzlies first hit of the ballgame, and their first three runs.

The visitors wasted no time in taking two of those runs back, scoring a pair in the top of the 6th inning, one of which came on a Wladimir Balentien home run. Tacoma had three homers in the game, off the bats of Balentien, Bryan LaHair, and Jeff Clement.

Fresno answered with three more runs in the bottom half of the frame. Eliezer Alfonzo doubled in one, and two more scored on Julio Cordido's single to cut the Rainiers' lead to 11-6. Unfortunately that was as close as the home team would get, as Tacoma piled on three more runs in the 9th to take the series opener 14-6.

The Grizzlies and Rainiers meet again on Wednesday at Chukchansi Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm. Southpaw Pat Misch toes the rubber for Fresno, while Tacoma counters with left-hander Justin Thomas in his 2008 Tacoma debut.

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