SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

West Virginia Powered Down by RiverDogs

Published on April 21, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


CHARLESTON, SC- Another day, another win for the Charleston RiverDogs, as the 3,828 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park were treated to the team's seventh win in a row. A loss by the Ashville Tourists meant they also added to their first place lead to 1.5 games in the South Atlantic League Southern Division.

After a scoreless first two innings, the RiverDogs took the lead in the third with a rally started by shortstop Cito Culver (2-3, RBI, 2 runs), who laced a leadoff single back through the middle. Kelvin De Leon singled with one out and back-to-back two out walks forced in the game's first run.

West Virginia tied the game in the 4th on an RBI single by Junior Sosa (1-4, RBI), but the RiverDogs re-took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Angelo Gumbs walked against Power reliever Orlando Castro (0-1), stole second and scored on a single by Culver, who also swiped second, moved to third on an error and scored on a single by Reymond Nunez (2-4, RBI). Charleston added a run in the fifth on consecutive doubles by Tyler Austin and Gary Sanchez to extend the lead to 4-1. Austin's double extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

Culver wasn't just contributing at the plate, as two spectacular fielding plays also helped Charleston's cause. In the first inning with a runner at first and one out, Culver fielded a grounder in front of second and flipped behind his back to the second baseman Gumbs to start the 6-4-3 double play. In the 8th, he took a base hit away from Willy Garcia with a diving catch of a liner that would have scored a runner from second.

West Virginia's offense was shut down after their run in the fourth inning by Charleston's pitching. Starter Will Oliver (1-1) pitched five innings and scattered five hits while walking two and striking out three. He was relieved by Zachary Varce who pitched two nearly perfect innings, but for an error, and struck out three before handing the game over to Philip Wetherell to close it out. Wetherell allowed just one hit, walked no one and struck out two to earn his second save of the season. The RiverDogs seven-game winning streak is their longest since 2008.

BALLPARK FUN: The first 1,000 fans received a free, long-sleeve t-shirt, courtesy of the Association for the Blind. Tri-county residents also got $1 off their ticket on Go Local Saturday, sponsored by Lowcountry Local First. The RiverDogs Express train ran on the concourse during the game where anyone could ride it for just $3.

COMING UP: Charleston manager Carlos Mendoza has announced that righty Jose Campos (3-0, 0.56 ERA) will draw the starting nod while West Virginia counters with right-hander Matt Benedict (1-1, 1.115 ERA). Sunday is another Charleston County Parks and Recreation and Crews Chevrolet Family Sunday with free parking available. Kids can also eat free, courtesy of Pepsi. Prior to the game, "Bark for Your Brew" will start at 2pm which allows fans to sample different craft beers from all over the country.

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 21, 2012


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