Travs Force Rubber Game With Win
Published on August 4, 2011 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
North Little Rock - The Travs scored a season-high in runs at Dickey-Stephens Park defeating the Springfield Cardinals 11-7 on Wednesday, Aug. 3, in front of an announced crowd of 2,995. Game time temperature was 107 degrees.
Travs starter Matt Shoemaker got off to a rough start in the top of the first inning. The Cardinals batted around and scored four runs started by lead-off man Jim Rapoport's single to center field. Shoemaker hit Ryan Jackson with a pitch the next at bat and the Cardinals went up 1-0 when Matt Adams singled to right field scoring Rapoport.
Shoemaker hit Aaron Luna with a pitch the next at bat and third baseman and former Arkansas Razorback Zack Cox hit a two-run double to put the Cardinals up 3-0. Shoemaker got the next two batters out, but walked Daryl James to reload the bases and walked last-place batter Chris Swauger to force in a run, making it 4-0.
The Travs (18-21) got three of the runs back in the bottom of the inning. Springfield starter Michael Blazek walked Mike Trout to start the inning and Darwin Perez grounded it to the second baseman Eric Duncan who made a fielding error to allow Trout to reach third base. First baseman Chris Pettit hit a ground-rule double to score Trout and put runners at second and third, and give the Travs a three-run deficit.
Perez scored an unearned run when third baseman Gabe Jacobo hit a sacrifice fly to left field to make it a 4-2 Cardinals lead. Roberto Lopez struck out for the second out, but left fielder Blake Gailen picked up his first Traveler hit and RBI with a double to right field to score Pettit and get the Travs within one run at 4-3.
The Travs took the lead 5-4 in the bottom of the third inning when last-place batter second baseman Jesus Campos doubled to the left-center field gap with two men on. It was also Campos' first hit as a Trav.
Blazek (10-5, 5.86) got the loss giving up five runs (three earned) on four hits in three innings. He walked six and struck out one. Perez singled and Pettit walked to start a two-run fourth inning for the Travs. The two completed a double steal to put runners at second and third and Perez scored on a wild pitch by reliever Jeff Lyman to make it 6-4. After Jacobo struck out and Lopez popped out, Gailen picked up his second RBI with his second double to score Pettit and give the Travs a three-run lead.
Travs' catcher Alberto Rosario singled to start the bottom of the fifth inning and scored on Trout's triple to left field to make it 8-4. Trout scored on Perez' ground out to shortstop to put the Travs up by five runs.
After the four-run first inning, Shoemaker went on to retire 11 Cardinals in a row and 14 of 15 until replacement catcher Audry Perez took Shoemaker's second pitch of the top of the sixth inning over the left field fence to make it a 9-5 Travs' lead. Perez came in when catcher Charlie Cutler hurt his hand when he threw to third base attempting to throw out a base stealer.
Eric Duncan doubled to right field to chase Shoemaker and reliever Christian Scholl came in and got three consecutive outs with a ground out scoring Duncan to make the score 9-6.
Shoemaker (10-2, 2.47) got the win despite pitching a season-low five innings for the Travs. He finished the night giving up six runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four.
Scholl picked up his fifth hold of the year giving up one run in three innings. He surrendered two hits and struck out four without a walk.
Travs' righty reliever Daniel Sattler saw his first action since May 13 throwing a perfect ninth inning.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Angel Castillo singled to left field and Rosario took reliever Scott Schneider's second pitch of the at bat past the left-field berm for a two-run home run to put the Travs up 11-6.
Rosario went 3 for 4 to lead the Travs' 10-hit attack. He scored three runs and knocked in two. Newcomers Gailen and Campos each contributed two RBIs apiece with Gailen finishing 2 for 4 with a run and Campos going 1 for 3. Trout, Perez and Pettit each scored two runs and each had an RBI.
For the Cardinals (18-21), Duncan went 2 for 4 with a home run and Adams went 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI. Cox went 1 for 4 with two RBIs.
The Cardinals left six men on base and hit 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position, while the Travs hit batted 4 for 12 with RISP and left eight men on in a 3 hour 14 minute game.
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