Two Claws Homers Not Enough; Tourists Top Claws 8-5

June 1, 2017 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Jersey Shore BlueClaws News Release

Two Claws Homers Not Enough; Tourists Top Claws 8-5
(Jersey Shore BlueClaws)

Melendez homered on the second pitch thrown by Bailey Falter in the first inning, but Lakewood would build a 4-1 lead before Asheville scored seven unanswered runs to win going away.

The loss is the second straight for the BlueClaws, who fell to 31-23 and 1.5 games behind first place Hagerstown with 16 games left in the first half. Asheville, now 23-29, won the first game of the four game weekend series, the lone series of the season between the two teams.

The teams exchanged two-run home runs in the fourth inning. Henri Lartigue hit his second home run of the season (and this road trip) to put the BlueClaws up 4-1. But in the bottom of the inning, Vince Fernandez took Bailey Falter deep for his eighth home run of the season, which got the lead back to 4-3.

Asheville, however, took the lead with two runs in the sixth inning. An RBI double by Robbie Perkins tied the game and Manny Melendez gave Asheville a 5-4 lead with an RBI single.

BlueClaws starter Bailey Falter, who fell to 2-3, came out after allowing five runs in 5.2 innings with two strikeouts and one walk.

Asheville starter Brandon Gold gave up four runs, three earned, in 5.2 innings but did not factor in the decision. Reliever Bryan Baker (3-1) earned the win, allowing one hit over 1.1 scoreless innings.

The Tourists blew the game open in the bottom of the seventh. With two out, Carlos Herrera drove in a run with an RBI double and a two-run home run by Robbie Perkins put Asheville up 8-4. The three seventh inning runs came off Mauricio Llovera, who had allowed just four earned runs to that point in the season.

Five different Tourists had multi-hit games, led by three hits apiece from Melendez and Fernandez. Mickey Moniak, Henri Lartigue, and David Martinelli had two hits apiece for the BlueClaws.

The series in Asheville continues on Friday night. RHP Felix Paulino (1-4) starts for Lakewood opposite LHP Ty Culbreath (1-2).

Two Claws Homers Not Enough; Tourists Top Claws 8-5

South Atlantic League Stories from June 1, 2017

• Suns Beat Fireflies for Sellout Crowd, 3-2 - Hagerstown Suns
• Augusta Blanks Legends 4-0 - Lexington Legends
• Beer City Beats Lakewood 8-5 - Asheville Tourists
• Rome Upend West Virginia, 5-4 - Charleston Dirty Birds
• Late Rally Propels Rome Past West Virginia - Rome Emperors
• Two Claws Homers Not Enough; Tourists Top Claws 8-5 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
• 'Birds Back Wells Early over Crawdads - Delmarva Shorebirds
• Drive Take Down RiverDogs 3-2 in Series - Greenville Drive
• RiverDogs Let One Slip Late in Greenville - Charleston RiverDogs
• Lindsay Homers in Loss to Hagerstown - Columbia Fireflies
• Adolfo Homers as I's Bounce the Hoppers - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
• Adolfo Named White Sox Minor League Player of the Month - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
• Historic "Hatfield and McCoy Feud" Comes to Baseball - Lexington Legends
• Fireflies Game Notes: June 1 at Hagerstown (Game 51) - Columbia Fireflies

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