Travs Rally in Fourth, Hold on for Win
Published on May 27, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
San Antonio, Texas - The Arkansas Travelers used a fourth inning surge and then held on late to earn a 4-3 victory over the San Antonio Missions on Saturday night at Wolff Stadium. Jean Segura finished 2-for-5 with a two-run single in the fourth inning that scored Angel Castillo and Jimmy Swift with what proved to be the marginal runs. Castillo also provided an RBI single in the fourth inning while Swift went 2-for-3 with a walk. The Travelers bullpen struck out eight Missions batters in the final four innings to preserve the win for Johnny Hellweg (2-3). Steven Geltz (6) pitched the last 1.1 innings adding three strikeouts for the save.
After dropping the first three games of the road trip the Travs now improve to 20-28, while the Missions fall to 20-28.
Hellweg walked six batters in a five-inning performance, but the Travs turned three double plays with him on the mound. The Missions also left three runners in scoring position versus Hellweg and had two runners erased on the base paths. In earning his second win in the last four starts Hellweg allowed just one run on five base hits and two strikeouts.
Dean Anna led the way for San Antonio with a 2-for-3 game that included a two-run homer (2) off Travs reliever Dakota Robinson in the seventh inning. Anna also walked twice and scored two runs. He made it around the bases in the third inning following a leadoff single, wild pitch and Cody Decker's RBI single. Hellweg left a runner at third base though when he got Nathan Freiman to bounce to shortstop Darwin Perez to begin a double play.
San Antonio's Andrew Werner (1-6) slipped through the first three innings on four base hits and a walk, but zero runs. He began the Travs' fourth inning with back-to-back walks to Roberto Lopez and Carlos Ramirez. After Lopez was forced at third base on a Darwin Perez fielder's choice, Castillo delivered the game-tying single to center field knocking in Ramirez. Then Perez and Castillo executed a double steal and Werner issued his third walk of the inning to Swift to load the bases. Rian Kiniry's groundout to second base brought home Perez Segura then poked his two-run single to right field knocking Werner from the game with four runs on six hits and four walks in 3.2 innings.
When Missions third baseman Edinson Rincon led off the fourth inning with a line drive double to right field, Kiniry fetched the ball and found Renny Osuna as his cut off man. Rincon tried the stretch the hit into a triple but was thrown out at third base. Hellweg then walked Ali Solis before getting his third double play of the night when Jeudy Valdez bounced to Swift at third base.
Once again the Missions leadoff man reached base when Reymond Fuentes began the fifth inning with a bunt single. Ramirez cut him down at second base on an attempted steal allowing Hellweg to retire the next two batters to get out of the inning.
The Travs bullpen got involved after Hellweg walked the first two batters of the sixth inning. After Caleb Graham relieved, the Missions loaded the bases on a Jake Blackwood single. Graham stiffened and got Rincon to pop out before striking out Solis and Valdez to leave three runners. The Missions left 12 runners on base for the night.
San Antonio squeezed their only two runs off the Travs bullpen on Anna's seventh inning home run off Robinson to get within 4-3. Robinson left after a one-out walk to Jaff Decker put the tying run on base. Matt Oye relieved and put the go-ahead run on base with a Freiman single. Oye though induced a comebacker from Blackwood and struck out Rincon looking to hold the lead.
Daniel Tillman began the eighth with back-to-back strikeouts but then threw wildly on a bunt single by Fuentes, once again putting the Missions tying run into scoring position. That's when the sixth Travs pitcher of the night was summoned and Geltz whiffed Carlos Sosa to end the threat.
The Missions only got a one-out single from Freiman in the ninth inning, but Geltz struck out Blackwood and got Rincon to pop out to end the game.
Time of game was 3:37 and the paid attendance was 5,539.
The middle game of the Travs and Missions series is Sunday afternoon at 4:05 p.m.
Texas League Stories from May 27, 2012
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- Testa, Naturals Top Roughriders - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Fourth Inning Dooms Missions, Lose 5-3 to Travs - San Antonio Missions
- Cardinals Blast Hooks 10-1 - Springfield Cardinals
- Game Notes, May 27 vs. Springfield - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Travs Rally in Fourth, Hold on for Win - Arkansas Travelers
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