SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Wallace's Marvelous Outing Guides Power to 5-1 Win

Published on June 7, 2018 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


CHARLESTON, WV - Gavin Wallace turned in a career day on the mound, as the right-hander's eight stellar innings headlined a 5-1 series finale victory for the Power over the Lexington Legends Thursday night at Appalachian Power Park.

Wallace (4-0) was phenomenal for West Virginia (29-26), tossing a career-high eight innings and 99 pitches (74 for strikes). The New Jersey native set down seven batters, tied for his career-best, while allowing just one run on a fifth-inning homer by MJ Melendez and not walking a single batter. He worked quickly through the first two innings, using just 19 pitches to set down nine of the first 10 batters to the plate. He ended the night retiring seven of the last eight Legends (31-26) he faced.

The Power cracked the scoreboard in the third, plating two runs against Lexington starter Janser Lara (1-3). Brett Pope started the rally after being hit by a pitch for the second straight night. The second baseman then advanced on three wild pitches from Lara to score the first run of the game. After that, Calvin Mitchell walked and came home on a one-out double from Deon Stafford to give West Virginia a 2-0 lead. Stafford finished the night 2-for-4 after adding a seventh-inning single.

Oneil Cruz hit a single to lead off the game to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. During this stretch, he is hitting .462 (18-for-39) with six RBI. He finished Thursday's contest 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI single in the eighth to make it a 5-1 Power lead.

West Virginia received some two-out insurance from Ben Bengtson in the seventh, as he roped a two-run double off Lexington reliever Jacob Condra-Bogan to score Mitchell and Stafford and increase West Virginia's lead to 4-1. Bengtson has crushed Lexington this year, hitting at a .364 (12-for-33) clip, while adding two homers and eight RBI to the mix. He is also currently riding a seven-game hitting streak.

Following Wallace's career night, Matt Seelinger finished off the win, striking out a pair on 16 pitches in the ninth.

West Virginia now heads to Hickory, North Carolina, and Augusta, South Carolina, for an eight-game, seven-day road trip beginning with a doubleheader against the Crawdads. The second game is a make-up of the April 15 contest that was rained out. First pitch of game one from L.P. Frans Stadium is set for 5 p.m. Friday. The Power have not announced a starter for either game yet, while the Crawdads will send RHP Reid Anderson (1-3, 3.38 ERA) to the mound in game one. Their game two starter has yet to be determined. Pregame coverage begins at 4:40 p.m. on The Jock 1300 and 1340 AM, as well as online at www.wvpower.com and via the TuneIn Radio App and MiLB First Pitch App.

The Power will return to Appalachian Power Park June 15-17 for a three-game series against the Delmarva Shorebirds. The series will be West Virginia's last homestand of the first half and will be jam-packed with promotions. Fireworks Friday, presented by Electric 102.7 and Huntington Bank, kicks off the homestand on June 15, while on June 16, the Power will celebrate West Virginia Day with a Bluetooth speaker giveaway to the first 1,000 fans courtesy of Appalachian Power. West Virginia's first half promotional slate concludes Sunday, June 17, with a Lincoln County Day and Father's Day Kidz Sunday Funday at the ballpark. For tickets and more information, call the Power at 304-344-2287 or visit wvpower.com.

Check out the Charleston Dirty Birds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from June 7, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central