Texas Winter League Update

Published on February 20, 2013 under North American League (NAmL)
Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings News Release


Eric Sheridan pitched a complete game victory while Cody Bishop and Jacob Douglas led an 11-hit attack to give the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings sole possession of first place in the Texas Winter League with a 6-2 victory against the Brownsville Stars Wednesday afternoon at Harlingen Field.

Sheridan (2-0), acquired in a trade with the McAllen Thunder on Sunday, struck out eight and allowed seven hits without walking a hitter in this first starting pitching performance of the baseball season.

The 29-year-old right-hander retired his last six hitters, with the last batter to reach base on him the result of a strikeout pitch not caught on the fly. Other than that, no player reached on Sheridan after the Stars' (6-6-1) Sean Gaughan collected an infield single with two out in the fourth inning.

The WhiteWings (7-4-2) were led by Cody Bishop, who had two hits to raise his TWL-leading average to .457, and Jacob Douglas, who had three hits off Stars starter Cole Stephens (1-2).

Bishop helped put the WhiteWings on the board in the top of the first inning when he tripled to centerfield. Although he was forced at the plate on a Kori Melo comebacker to the mound, Melo would score the first run of the game from first base on Cody Brooks' long wind-blown single to left field.

Douglas would score the game's second run in the second on Rolando Zamarripa's sacrifice fly to centerfield, and Bishop then drove in Bobby Villante with a two out single to right to make the score 3-2.

Douglas also broke up Stephens' no-hit bid last Friday. He has now collected hits in his last four plate appearances off the right-hander from Amarillo who pitched for Rio Grande Valley in the United League in 2012.

The Stars had an opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when four of the first five batters Sheridan faced connected for hits. But Keigo Miyagi's opposite field double to left bounced over the 3-foot fence in left field for a book rule double, preventing Justin Juneau from scoring.

Stars manager Chris Patterson then called for a suicide squeeze from Gaughan, and the designated hitter could not get the bunt down.

Juneau, who drove in Alex Foltz with the first Stars run earlier in the inning, was caught in a rundown between third base and home, and Gaughan's successive two-out infield single could not plate Miyagi with the tying run.

The WhiteWings scored single runs in every inning henceforth, with Villante, who had two hits, and Lopez High product Jose DeLeon both driving in runs.

ROADRUNNERS 20 THUNDER 12

Ginjiro Fujiwara continued his hot hitting, Mike Mobbs hit his first home run of the season, and Porter High product Henry Garcia again proved dominant to lead the Edinburg Roadrunners to a 20-12 laugher against the McAllen Thunder.

The Thunder (4-8-1) actually collected more hits than the Roadrunners (7-6), 16-10, but were victimized by their opponent stealing bases at will and by their own pitching.

Thunder hurlers walked 14 batters, including seven in two innings by starting pitcher Misop Baynun (0-2), and uncorked 24 wild pitches.

Meanwhile, they stole 15 bases off catcher Anthony Hinderman, including five by Fujiwara, four by Phil Rowland, and three by Mobbs.

The Roadrunners scored eight times in the bottom of the first on just two hits, both two out run scoring hits by Fujiwara and Thomas Schull. By that time the Roadrunners had batted around in their order and collected five walks off Baynun.

Though the Thunder twice rallied to cut the Roadrunners' lead to four runs, first after scoring four times in the top of the second and then after a 4-run fifth inning to make the score 16-12, they allowed the Roadrunners to score in every inning.

Mobbs home run to left field began the second inning and made the score 9-4.

Garcia (2-1) came on to pitch in the top of the sixth and struck out four batters while not allowing a single run to earn the victory.

Hiroki Itakura, Derrick Pyles, and Todd Alls all collected three hits in a losing cause for the Thunder.

The Roadrunners will attempt to move into a first place tie with the WhiteWings tomorrow when they play them at 11 a.m. The Thunder will try to snap their six game losing streak against the Stars in the nightcap.

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North American League Stories from February 20, 2013


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