West Virginia Power: Game Notes (May 2)
May 2, 2018 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release
After their walk-off, 6-4, series-opening win over Augusta on Tuesday, the Power will go for their fifth series victory of the season on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. against the GreenJackets at Appalachian Power Park. RHP Hunter Stratton (0-0, 14.73 ERA) is on the mound.
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PEURIFOY WALKS IT OFF IN SERIES OPENER: Trailing 4-3 in the final inning of regulation, the Power used a pair of home runs from Rodolfo Castro and Ryan Peurifoy to post a three-run ninth and steal the series opener from the Augusta GreenJackets, 6-4, on Tuesday evening at Appalachian Power Park. Castro led off the inning with his second home run in as many games to right field, and after Peter Lannoo walked Mason Martin, Peurifoy crushed the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for the first walk-off home run of his career. Matt Seelinger earned the win after tossing a scoreless ninth frame, while Travis MacGregor went five innings and struck out eight in the no-decision. West Virginia scored all six of its runs from the seventh inning on, as Augusta starter John Gavin stymied the Power over six frames, ceding just one hit and fanning a career-best nine men.
WALK-OFF WINNERS: Peurifoy's ninth-inning heroics marked the second walk-off win for the Power in 2018, as Deon Stafford used a sacrifice fly to give West Virginia an 8-7 win against Greenville on April 8 in game one of a doubleheader. West Virginia had not won on a long ball since Garrett Brown sunk Hagerstown with one on August 25, 2017, in Charleston. The Power had six walk-off wins last season, with only Brown's coming via the home run.
HOLY HOMERS: With Castro and Peurifoy's blasts, West Virginia now has 25 home runs on the year, second-best in the South Atlantic League to Asheville, who has 28 long balls as a team. The Power have homered in six of their last seven games. Every batter on the current roster for West Virginia now possesses at least one homer except for Hernandez, who has only played two games with the Power. West Virginia is 12-3 when they hit a home run.
PRIVATE RYAN (PEURIFOY) REPORTING: Since starting the season 0-for-13 through his first four games, Peurifoy has reached base safely in nine of his last 10 games, while registering a hit in eight of those contests. Beginning on April 14, the Georgia Tech product is averaging .270 (10-for-37) with two home runs and six RBI, bringing his season average to the Mendoza Line (.200). Peurifoy's winner gave the Power their sixth comeback win of the season.
SHARPENING THE BASEPATHS: Since April 18, Chris Sharpe has reached base safely in all 12 games he has played for the Power. The outfielder holds the second-longest on-base streak on the team behind Calvin Mitchell, who reached base in 15 consecutive contests before seeing his streak end on April 28 in Lexington. During this stretch, Sharpe is averaging .263 (10-for-38) with three RBI and eight runs. On the season, the Boston native's .369 on-base percentage is third on the team, while his .749 OPS is fifth-best. Sharpe has reached in 20 of the 23 games he has suited up for this season.
GOING STREAKING: Mason Martin has recorded a hit in each of his last seven games, dating back to April 25. The Kennewick, Wash., native is averaging .400 (10-for-25) with a home run and five RBI during this span, upticking his average to .276 through 25 games. Martin is tied for the team lead in home runs with Oneil Cruz at four apiece. Mitchell holds the team's longest hitting streak of the season at 13 games.
THE MISFORTUNE OF MISCUES: Through 25 games, West Virginia has struggled defensively. After committing two errors on Tuesday, the Power have been stricken with 47 errors, equating to a .947 fielding percentage, the worst in the South Atlantic League.
THE PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Hunter Stratton (0-0, 14.73 ERA) makes his Low-A debut as a starter on Wednesday evening in the middle matchup against the Augusta GreenJackets. Through two games with the Power, Stratton has allowed eight runs (six earned) over 3.2 innings while walking four and striking out five. Augusta sends RHP Jose Marte (2-0, 2.84 ERA) to the slab, who spun five innings of three-hit ball on April 25 at Greenville to earn the win.
POWER POINTS: Power relievers have held the first batters they have faced in an appearance to a .149 (7-for-47) stroke, with 16 strikeouts... West Virginia's bullpen has allowed just three earned runs over their last 22.1 relief innings, good for a 1.21 ERA, while striking out 22 batters... The Power are now 2-4 against left-handed opposing starters... During Seelinger's five appearances in a Power uniform, West Virginia is 4-1.
ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on The Jock 1300 & 1340 AM in the Kanawha Valley, online at wvpower.com and on the TuneIn Radio App. David Kahn and John Kocsis will handle play-by-play duties in 2018.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 2, 2018
- Intimidators Use 6-Run Fifth Inning to Take Game 2, 9-6 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Power Outage - Augusta GreenJackets
- Power Drop Middle Game 3-1 to Augusta - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Three Run Fifth Gives Lakewood the Win, 5-2 - Rome Emperors
- RiverDogs Shutout Asheville Behind Outstanding Pitching - Charleston RiverDogs
- Curran Blast Lifts 'Birds from Behind - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Stewart Sharp, Brito Drives in Three, Claws Win 5-2 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Bats Fall Quiet in 4-0 Loss to RiverDogs - Asheville Tourists
- Shorebirds Come Back to Defeat Drive - Greenville Drive
- Homer-Happy Hoppers Hammer Hagerstown - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Franco Homers Twice in Suns Loss - Hagerstown Suns
- Renteria Leads Columbia to Victory on First Palmetto Health Children's Hospital Reading Program Day of the Year - Columbia Fireflies
- Legends Unable to Catch Fireflies in Game Two Loss - Lexington Legends
- West Virginia Power: Game Notes (May 2) - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Fireflies Game Notes: May 2 vs. Lexington (Game 26) - Columbia Fireflies
- Suns Go Back-To-Back in Comeback Win - Hagerstown Suns
- I's Defeat 'Dads 8-4 in Game One - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Alfonzo Notches First Three-Hit Game of Season - Columbia Fireflies
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