WV Power Game Notes vs Asheville
April 11, 2011 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release
Asheville Tourists (2-2) at West Virginia Power (2-1)
Game 4 | April 11, 2011 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV
Play-by-Play: Adam Marco Radio: Power Baseball Network and wvpower.com
TONIGHT'S MATCHUP
RH Josh Slaats (NR) vs. RH Colton Cain (NR)
Slaats: Went 1-3 with a 1.95 ERA in 2010 for the Tri-City Dust Devils over 8 games (5 starts)
Cain: Went 1-2 with a 4.66 ERA in 2010 with two clubs with 47 K over 48.1 IP
POWER REWIND: After two days of showers and rainouts, West Virginia swept a doubleheader with Savannah, winning 9-1 and 2-0 Sunday afternoon. Matt Curry and Andy Vasquez each had three hits in game one, and Curry drove in four to back Tyler Waldron in the victory. The Power plated seven runs in the fourth inning to gain control. In game two, Zack Dodson and Ryan Beckman combined to toss a two-hit shutout. West Virginia scored twice in the home half of the fifth to help secure the win in a seven inning game that lasted all of one hour and 18 minutes.
APRIL SHOWERS EQUALS TWINBILL: West Virginia only swept one doubleheader during the 2010 season, and has already matched that feat this season after Sunday's wins over Savannah. The Power went 7-4 on doubleheader days in 2010.
WELCOME BACK: A crowd of 4,807 were in attendance for the 2011 opener, marking the third largest crowd on Opening Day in Appalachian Power Park history. The 2006 opener drew 5,742 fans, while 5,354 entered the gates for the first time for 2005's debut game. Thursday's crowd was larger than any announced during the 2010 season.
NEW SKIPPER: Gary Robinson takes over the helm for the 2011 season. Robinson holds a career record of 71-80 after two seasons with State College in the New York-Penn League. Former Power manager Gary Green is still in the Pirates organization, now serving as a roving minor league infield coordinator.
SOME NEW AND ONE OLD: Dave Howard and Gera Alvarez join manager Gary Robinson as new additions to the Power dugout, but Jeff Johnson returns for his third season in Charleston. Howard will serve as he club's hitting coach, a role he previously held with Bradenton at High-A, while Alvarez joins the staff as a bench coach after serving as manager of the Oakland County Cruisers in the Frontier League last year. Johnson returns for his third season with the Power, having been originally assigned here in 2009 when the affiliation changed from Milwaukee to Pittsburgh.
TOURISTS TRAVEL WELL: West Virginia welcomes Asheville to Charleston to open a four-game series tonight, but it is the visitors who have played better at Appalachian Power Park since 2005. The Tourists hold the edge in Charleston with 15 wins in 27 games. The Power trail the all-time overall series 26-22.
ROSTER RUNDOWN: The 2011 Power roster features 16 players drafted by Pittsburgh within the last two years, four players who saw South Atlantic League action in 2010 with the Power, and four ranked within Baseball America's top 25 for the entire Pirates organization. Rogelio Noris, Zach Foster, Jairo Marquez, and Andy Vasquez all saw action in 2010 with the Power. Zack Von Rosenberg rates ninth followed by Colton Cain (13), Zach Dodson (18), and Mel Rojas Jr. (23).
POWER POINTS: West Virginia plays 14 home games during April and nine on the road. The Power went 9-12 during April of 2010, hit .239, and held a staff ERA of 3.80... Justin Howard and Andy Vasquez are listed as infielders on the official Power roster, but both will see time in the outfield during the 2011 season... 24 of the 25 men on the initial roster were originally drafted or signed by Pittsburgh..
AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh lost 6-5 to Colorado... Indianapolis lost 7-5 to Columbus... Altoona beat Erie 10-7 to sin its second straight... Bradenton doubled up Charlotte 6-3.
ON THE AIR: All 140 West Virginia Power games can be heard on ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, WV, across the state on the Power Radio Network, and online at milb.com. Adam Marco will call the action for each of the 70 home games this season, while the home team will provide coverage while the Power are on the road.
South Atlantic League Stories from April 11, 2011
- Drive Outslug Cross-State Rival RiverDogs, 12-10 - Greenville Drive
- Crawdads Drop Gnats 9-1 Monday - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Kannapolis Plates Late Runs Too Top Delmarva, 5-3 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Crawdads Swat Sand Gnats, 9-1 - Hickory Crawdads
- West Virginia Loses 3-1 To The Tourists - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Charleston Erases Deficit, But Falls in Wild 12-10 Final - Charleston RiverDogs
- Braves Get First Win of the Season - Rome Emperors
- Lakewood Outlasts Greensboro 2-1 Monday Night - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Early Deficit Proves Too Great For Augusta - Augusta GreenJackets
- Legends Rained Out, Will Play Two Tuesday - Lexington Legends
- Gnats Game Notes: Monday, April 11 at Hickory Crawdads - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Budig to Deliver the Citadel Graduate College Commencement Address - Charleston RiverDogs
- BlueClaws to Host Hope4Heroes Charity Baseball Game - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- WV Power Game Notes vs Asheville - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Shorebirds Game Notes Vs. Kannapolis - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Suns Shock Braves with Ninth Inning Rally to Sweep Opening Series - Hagerstown Suns
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