Walks Haunt Hawks in 7-6 Defeat

Published on August 6, 2010 under Midwest League (MWL1)
South Bend Silver Hawks News Release


Bowling Green, KY - The South Bend Silver Hawks issued eight walks Friday night with four of them coming in to score runs in a 7-6 defeat at the hands of the Bowling Green Hot Rods. With the loss, the Silver Hawks split the four game series with the Hot Rods and remain 4.5 games out of a playoff spot with 30 games remaining in the regular season.

Even with all the walks, South Bend still had a chance to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Down 7-3 at the start of the inning, South Bend scored three times and had the tying run at third base with a go-ahead run at first. However, Jake Sullivan (SV, 3) struck out Matt Davidson to end the threat and the ballgame.

Bowling Green built an early lead, scoring five runs in their first three at-bats. South Bend starter Mike Belfiore (LP, 1-9) walked the first two batters in the first inning, with both runners coming in to score for an early 2-0 lead.

After the Silver Hawks got a run in the top of the second on a RBI double from Tyson Van Winkle, the Hot Rods answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the second and two more runs in the bottom of the third. One of the runs scored in the third reached on a walk, as Belfiore walked five batters in his five innings on the mound with three of those runners ultimately scoring.

Andrew Fie and Ender Inciarte each picked up RBIs in the game for South Bend, but the Silver Hawks trailed 5-3 entering the seventh innings. The Hot Rods got another walk and an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh, and then a solo home run by Julio Cedeno in the bottom of the eighth for the 7-3 lead.

Entering the ninth down by four, David Narodowski walked with one out, and down to his final strike, Inciarte hit a two out single to put runners at the corners. Keon Broxton got down to his final strike before blasting a two run double into the right-center gap to make it 7-5.

For the third time in the inning, a Silver Hawks player was down to their final strike when Victor Estevez took a 1-2 pitch down the left field line, scoring Broxton to bring South Bend within one. Sullivan entered the game at that point, allowing Estevez to steal third and then walking Bobby Borchering to put runners at the corners with two outs. On ball four, the ball squirted away from the catcher Mark Thomas, but Estevez did not chance ending the game being thrown out at the plate. Finally, Davidson struck out on a 3-2 pitch to end the threat as the Silver Hawks luck ran out.

Borchering and Davidson both saw six game hitting streaks come to an end Friday night, while Broxton improved hit season best hit streak to eight games.

The Silver Hawks return home to take on the Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) on Saturday evening for Fallen Heroes Night beginning at 5:30 PM Eastern Time. RHP Andrew Wolcott (1-2, 6.19 ERA) starts for South Bend against Lake County's RHP Clayton Cook (4-5, 3.68 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 5:10 PM Eastern Time on 1620 ESPN Radio and online at www.silverhawks.com.

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Midwest League Stories from August 6, 2010


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