Topes Use Fifth Straight Comeback to Keep it Rollin;
August 8, 2003 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Albuquerque Isotopes News Release
The Isotopes did what they do best, rallying for the fifth consecutive night in defeating New Orleans 8-5 on Thursday night in front of 7,379 fans at Isotopes Park.
Down 5-1 heading into the bottom the fifth, the Isotopes scored three times to pull within one run before taking their first lead in the sixth inning with two runs to complete their 32nd comeback of the season. In the sixth, Paul Hoover led off with an infield single. After being sacrificed to second by Kevin Hooper, Hoover scored the tying run on a Chris Donnels pinch hit double. Gerald Williams followed with a double of his own, advancing Donnels to third, before Wilson Valdez hit an RBI grounder, scoring Donnels for the 6-5 lead.
The rally started in the fifth when Williams broke an 0 x 24 skid with his ninth homer of the season, a two-run shot, making the score 5-3. Valdez and Allen followed with back-to-back doubles to cut the lead to 5-4.
Albuquerque fell behind earlier as the Zephyrs scored five times in the first five innings off starter Aaron Small. The Albuquerque bullpen shut New Orleans down the rest of the way as Oswaldo Mairena, Chad Fox, Allen Levrault, and Blaine Neal combined for four shutout innings. Mairena (6-2) earned the win with Neal notching his 15th save as Albuquerque extended its franchise-record home winning streak to seven games and overall winning streak to five.
The Isotopes (63-56) move a season-high seven games over .500 and maintain their 3.5 game lead in the Central Division. The âTopes and Sounds play game two of four tomorrow night, beginning at 7:11 PM. Scott Sanders will take the mound for Albuquerque.
Pacific Coast League Stories from August 8, 2003
- August 12: The finals of the Nolan Ryan Borden Kid Builder Ice Cream Million Dollar Pitch Contest - Round Rock Express
- Hernandez Reassigned to Round Rock - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Bellhorn and Sweeney Smash Sounds - Colorado Springs Sky Sox
- Isotopes Rally Beats Zephyrs, 8-5 - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Cats Pitching Too Tough for Trappers - Edmonton Trappers
- Sounds Outslugged By Sky Sox, 12-7 - Nashville Sounds
- Beavers Score Four in Tenth to Beat Salt Lake - Portland Beavers
- Topes Use Fifth Straight Comeback to Keep it Rollin; - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Late rally not quite enough for Express - Round Rock Express
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