WhiteWings Win 9-1

August 27, 2012 - North American League (NAmL)
Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings News Release


HARLINGEN- Celson Polanco threw eight shutout innings and Leugim Barroso collected four hits while driving in three runs and scoring twice as the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings defeated the Edinburg Roadrunners 9-1 Monday night at Harlingen Field.

The victory, the 50th of the season for the WhiteWings (50-38), allowed Rio Grande Valley to keep their faint regular season division championship hopes alive. After schedule reshuffling the WhiteWings will play the Roadrunners (54-35) in the final seven games of the regular season, then begin a best-of-three game playoff series against Edinburg on Sept. 4. The winner of this series will then play for the United Division championship against either Fort Worth or San Angelo.

But in order to finish ahead of the Roadrunners, Rio Grande Valley will now have to win six of the seven games remaining against Edinburg.

But Polanco (12-4) was hardly nervous, allowing just six hits and one run while striking out six and walking one in eight plus innings of work.

"When I'm on the mound, I don't worry about who we play or our place in the standings. I just concentrate," said Polanco, whose 12 victories is the second-highest total in WhiteWings history behind Yfrain Linares, who won 14 in 2000.

Though Polanco set down Edinburg in order four times during the game, he could have been sloppy and likely still won.

That's because of a 16-hit offensive attack put out by the WhiteWings, including four from Barroso.

Barroso, the WhiteWings leader in games played with 83, highlighted a 2-run third inning to give Rio Grande Valley a 3-0 lead by scoring on a two out hit by Alex Ruiz after reaching by beating out a sacrifice attempt.

The WhiteWings' shortstop also drove in the WhiteWings' fifth run of the game with a two out single off Ryan Smith (3-6) to highlight a 2-run fourth inning and highlighted a 4-run eighth inning with a 2-run triple off Miguel Martinez.

Ruiz finished with three hits of his own, including a second run scoring single with two out in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 9-0.

The victory was enough for at least one player to think in grand terms.

"If we play together, synchronized, we'll win them all," said WhiteWings outfielder Nestor Castillo, who was reactivated this weekend and collected a pinch-hit double and scored a run in the eighth.

The two teams will play each other in the final game of a two game series in Harlingen tonight at 7:05 p.m.



North American League Stories from August 27, 2012


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