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SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

West Virginia Power: Game Notes (June 13)

June 13, 2018 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


West Virginia goes for the series victory Wednesday evening against the Augusta GreenJackets, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. from SRP Park. RHP Cody Bolton (2-0, 0.00 ERA) looks to extend his 15.1-inning scoreless streak as he takes the rubber tonight and below.

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EARLY OFFENSE SETS TONE IN 7-5 WIN: Gavin Wallace battled his way through six innings and West Virginia scored all seven of its runs over the first two innings as the Power took game two of their four-game series, 7-5, against the Augusta GreenJackets on Tuesday evening at SRP Park. West Virginia plated four runs in the first as they sent eight men to the plate against Augusta starter Garrett Cave, who lasted just 1.1 innings. Oneil Cruz led off with a single before Rodolfo Castro walked and Calvin Mitchell reached base on a fielder's choice throwing error. With the bases loaded and no one out, Deon Stafford ripped a two-run single to give the Power an early lead. Ben Bengtson followed that up with a run-scoring single of his own, bringing in Mitchell, before Brett Pope capped the scoring with an RBI groundout to make it 4-0. After the GreenJackets got one back on a Shane Matheny home run, West Virginia tacked on three more in the second thanks to an RBI single from Castro, a hit by pitch with the bases loaded and a sacrifice fly from Pope. Meanwhile, Wallace cruised through the first four innings, setting down 10 in a row at one point and using just 37 pitches. He ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing three runs on a two-run triple by Logan Baldwin and a ground-rule double from Nick Hill, but he struck out Matheny and Manuel Geraldo in succession to end the threat. Blake Cederlind tossed a 1-2-3 seventh, but ceded a run in the eighth on a wild pitch that slimmed the lead to two. However, Matt Seelinger slammed the door in the ninth with a 1-2-3 frame, including a pair of strikeouts..

STREAKING: Bengtson extended his hitting streak to 13 games with his first-inning RBI single Tuesday against Cave. Bengtson holds the longest active hitting streak on the Power. The infielder is averaging .311 (14-for-45) with eight RBI in that span. The Concord, New Hampshire, native is one of three West Virginia sluggers to string together a hitting streak of 10 games or more in 2018 (Cruz, 10 and 14; Mitchell, 13). The Hartford product has increased his season average from .169 to .227 during this stretch (58 points).

THE W STANDS FOR WINS: Wallace earned his fifth win of the season following Tuesday's six-inning performance. The Madison, New Jersey, native has won his last eight decisions dating back to August 6, 2017. Since his last losing decision on July 16, 2017, Wallace has allowed more than three earned runs just twice in his 20 starts (21 appearances), and has worked five innings or more in all but four of those outings (two affected by rain in 2018, one was a relief appearance with the Black Bears). The 22-year-old also struck out a career-best eight batters Tuesday evening.

SAVE ME SEELINGER: Since the departure of Blake Weiman to Bradenton, Seelinger has assumed the team's primary closer role in 2018. Seelinger locked down his fourth save in as many opportunities Wednesday, the most on the team. In 16 appearances, the Farmingdale State College product holds a 1-2 record and a miniscule 1.89 ERA, the best mark among all current Power relievers. Over his 19 innings with West Virginia, he has struck out 25 batters and walked just five while holding opposing sluggers to a .211 clip against him.

#BOLTONDAY: Wednesday starter Cody Bolton has been nothing short of impressive since joining West Virginia. In his South Atlantic League debut, the right-hander spun five shutout innings against Kannapolis and struck out a career-high eight batters. In his second start in Greensboro, he bested that performance with his first career quality start, blanking the Grasshoppers over six frames and giving up just three hits. In his most recent start on June 8 in Hickory, he took a no-hitter through 4.1 innings, striking out seven and surrendering just two hits and one walk. In total, Bolton has not allowed a run in his 15.1 innings with West Virginia and has fanned 19 batters while ceding just seven hits.

NUMBERS MEAN EVERYTHING: Despite West Virginia's 7-5 win , Kannapolis swept Delmarva in a doubleheader, moving the Power's elimination number in the first half down to three. Any combination of Kannapolis wins and West Virginia losses that adds up to three would eliminate the Power from postseason contention in the first half.

HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR: Stafford and Mitchell were named South Atlantic League All-Stars last Tuesday, with the pair set to represent the Power at this year's Midsummer Classic in Greensboro, N.C., on June 19 at First National Bank Field. Stafford received his second consecutive All-Star nod, while Mitchell secured his first mid-season accolade. Stafford is the first Power catcher to garner an All-Star selection since Reese McGuire in 2014.

POWER POINTS: The Power have not homered in their last seven games... West Virginia is 19-14 in games decided by two runs or less... The Power are 11-0 when scoring seven or more runs in a contest... West Virginia scored first for the eighth time in their last nine games. The Power are 23-12 when scoring first (10-16 when they allow the first run).

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