Toca party

April 29, 2004 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Edmonton Trappers News Release


Pinch-hitter Jorge Toca delivered a bases loaded single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Edmonton Trappers a hard fought 4-3 victory over the Portland Beavers Thursday night at TELUS Field. The win guarantees the Trappers a winning record in the month of April for first time since 1997. It was the first at-bat of the season for Toca, who was signed as a free agent earlier in the day. He began the season in the Mexican League after being released by the Pittsburgh Pirates in Spring Training. Toca was a member of the Cuban National Team in the mid-1990's and was teammates with Livan Hernandez, Orlando Hernandez and Rolando Arrojo. The win, coupled with a Salt Lake loss, moves the Trappers into sole possession of first place in the North Division of the PCL. The victory was also a milestone for Trappers Manager Dave Huppert, who recorded his 1200th triumph on Thursday night. Edmonton has dominated Portland at TELUS Field since the Beavers joined the PCL, posting a 20-5 record at home during that time. The Trappers and Beavers continue this four-game set on Friday night at TELUS Field.

Portland starter Dennis Tankersley retired the first two batters that he faced on Thursday night, but he had a tough time recording the third out as the Trappers tallied three times on three hits and left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first frame. Third baseman Scott Hodges drew a two-out walk and first baseman Luis Lopez followed with a single to left field. Right fielder Ryan Church then pounded a Tankersley pitch over the wall in right field for his second home run of the season. Tankersley walked Randy Knorr, allowed a double to Julius Matos and hit Anthony Medrano with a pitch, but then fanned Seung Song to get himself out of the jam. The Beavers narrowed the lead to one run with two in the fourth inning off Song, the Trapper starting pitcher. Right fielder Alex Fernandez led off the frame with a double down the right field line and Joe Gerber followed with a walk. With one out catcher Humberto Quintero banged a double off the wall in right field, driving in both runners.

The game turned into a pitcher's duel in the middle innings with both Tankersley and Song settling down. Neither team was able to muster a run off the two right-handers or the relievers who replaced them. Edmonton's Jeremy Fikac, making his Trapper debut on Thursday, retired all five batters that he faced and turned the ball over to closer Pat Mahomes (2-0) in the ninth inning. Mahomes looked unhittable, setting down the first two batters he faced, but shortstop J.J. Furmaniak kept the Beavers alive with a double down the left field line and pinch-hitter Bobby Scales tied the game with a broken bat single. With one out in the bottom of the 10th Knorr doubled off the wall in left field. Jeremy Ware was intentionally walked and Paul Hoover came in to pinch-run for Knorr. Toca followed a walk to Medrano that loaded the bases with his game-winning hit.

Highlights:

Trappers: Have a 12-8 record.will finish the month of April with a winning record for the first time since 1997.are 2-0 in extra-innings.are 3-2 in one-run games.own a 20-5 record in three season against the Beavers at TELUS Field.lead the all-time series 31-18.began the day with the second highest team batting average in the PCL (.305).entered the day as the highest scoring team in the PCL.have scored 116 runs in the first 20 games of the season, an average of 5.8 runs per game.have hit just 11 home runs, the lowest total in the league, but have stolen 21 bases.

Manager Dave Huppert: Recorded his 1200th victory.is 1200-1036 (.537) in 17-plus seasons as a minor league Manager.has guided his team to the playoffs nine times in that span.

RF Ryan Church: Belted his second home run of the season in the first inning, a three-run shot.began the night with a .379 batting average, which ranked sixth in the circuit.



Pacific Coast League Stories from April 29, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central