SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

West Virginia Power: Game Notes (July 13)

Published on July 13, 2018 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


West Virginia concludes its season series with Hickory tonight, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. from L.P. Frans Stadium. RHP Cody Bolton (3-2, 3.15 ERA) toes the slab for the Power.

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BENGTSON BOOST POWER OVER 'DADS: Ben Bengtson went 4-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored to pace West Virginia to an 8-2 win over the Hickory Crawdads Thursday evening at L.P. Frans Stadium. The Power took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning with a pair of runs scoring on an RBI groundout from Deon Stafford and a run-scoring knock from Bengtson, but a heavy rain storm set in and forced the game into a 2:13 delay. Following the resumption, West Virginia's bats stayed hot, notching a run in the fifth on an RBI single from Rodolfo Castro to extend its lead to 3-0. Hickory fought back in the sixth to make it a 3-2 game against Sergio Cubilete, who ultimately tossed 4.1 innings of solid relief after Hunter Stratton was unable to return due to the significant delay. Ryan Dorow homered and Preston Scott brought in Miguel Aparicio on a missed catch error, but Beau Sulser slammed the door by inducing an inning-ending double play. Sulser did not allow a hit over the final 3.2 innings, sealing the win for the Power, who provided Sulser with five runs of insurance. In the seventh, Fabricio Macias plated Bengtson with a sacrifice fly before Castro doubled in Ryan Peurifoy. In the eighth, Peurifoy's two-bagger sent in Stafford and Macias tallied two more RBI on a base hit, setting a new career-high with three runs batted in on the night.

BENNY AND THE HITS: Bengtson recorded a career-high four hits in Thursday's victory, notching the eighth four-hit game for West Virginia of 2018, and its first since Oneil Cruz stroked four hits in six at-bats in Hagerstown on June 30. Bengtson is the fourth Power batter to notch a four-hit game, joining Chris Sharpe, Calvin Mitchell and Cruz.

SIZZLING SULSER: Sulser's 3.2 innings Thursday were a season-high for the right-hander, and the most he has thrown since August 28, 2017, against State College, when he tied a career-high with a five-inning start with the West Virginia Black Bears. Since Sulser's worst outing of the season May 23 in Columbia, he has been lights out in the West Virginia bullpen. The Dartmouth product has tossed 22.2 innings from May 27 to present and only ceded four runs (three earned), good for a 1.19 ERA, while allowing 13 hits and striking out 23 batters to just one walk. Sulser was the last remaining reliever in all of professional baseball (including Major League Baseball) that had not allowed a walk through 20 innings pitched until he issued his first free pass on July 2 in Hagerstown.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY: With yesterday's 2 hour and 13 minute in-game delay, West Virginia has now had 26 games postponed, suspended, cancelled or delayed in 2018. The most games affected in a single season in Power history (2005-present) is 27, occurring in both 2013 and 2014.

PURE DESIGNATION: Peurifoy has been the most potent designated hitter West Virginia has had in 2018. In 16 games as the DH, the right-handed slugger boasts a .340 (18-for-53) clip with three home runs, 10 RBI and six doubles, all highs among the 16 total Power batters that have been the DH this season. West Virginia is 10-6 when Peurifoy is utilized as the designated hitter. Kyle Watson is the only Power batter with a better DH record (12-4) than Peurifoy.

SO LONG, CRAWDADS: Friday's affair marks the final time West Virginia will play the Hickory Crawdads in 2018. The Power have already claimed the season series, and a win tonight would give them their 80th win against the Crawdads in club history, marking the fifth South Atlantic League club that West Virginia would reach the 80-win plateau against in their 14-year history (Delmarva, Greensboro, Lakewood and Lexington).

SAL ALL-STAR GAME RETURNS TO CHARLESTON: The West Virginia Power and the City of Charleston will host the 2019 South Atlantic League All-Star Game, the team announced Thursday afternoon. 2019 will mark the second time Appalachian Power Park has played host to the SAL's Mid-Summer Classic, with the first time occurring back in 2009. The City of Charleston hosted the All-Star Game for the first time in 1989, when the team was named the Charleston Wheelers. The 2019 South Atlantic League All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, June 18, 2019.

HANRAHAN TABBED TO LEAD U.S. TEAM BULLPEN IN FUTURES GAME: Power pitching coach Joel Hanrahan has been selected as the Bullpen Coach for the United States team at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, taking place on Sunday, July 15, at 4 p.m. at Nationals Park during All-Star Weekend. Hanrahan will man the relief corps for the U.S. squad and is joined on the roster by former Power players RHP Mitch Keller and INF Ke'Bryan Hayes.

POWER POINTS: West Virginia is 34-14 when scoring first in a game... The Power are 19-0 when tallying seven or more runs in a contest... Jesse Medrano swiped his second career stolen base... The Power went 5-for-12 with RISP.

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 13, 2018


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