SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

WV Power Game Notes

Published on May 8, 2016 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Hagerstown Suns (19-9) at West Virginia Power (16-12)

Game 29 | May 8, 2016 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: Charleston's ESPN 104.5 & 1490 - wvpower.com Airtime: 1:45 pm

PITCHING MATCH-UP

RH Joan Baez (0-3, 5.59) vs. RH Dario Agrazal (1-2, 4.05)

Baez: Allowed 1 R on 2 H over 4.0 IP in 5/02 ND vs. ROM with 3 K and 5 BB (4-1 Hagerstown)

Agrazal: Surrendered 4 R on 7 H over 1.0 IP in 5/01-1 Loss vs. ASH with 1 K and 0 BB (4-2 Tourists)

LEADING OFF: West Virginia lost 6-5 to Hagerstown on Saturday night. The Suns held leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but the Power scored three in the fourth, keyed by a Ty Moore sac fly and a run-scoring double from John Bormann. Hagerstown got one back in the fifth, took the lead with two runs in the eighth off Bill Roth and added an insurance run in the ninth for a 6-4 edge. West Virginia loaded the bases twice in the bottom of the ninth and plated one run on a wild pitch. The Power could not complete the comeback and left the bases full in the inning. Roth took the loss, Jorge Pantoja earned the win and Tommy Peterson notched his fourth save.

READY TO GO: Infielder Cole Tucker was added to the Power roster today from Extended Spring Training. The 2014 first round pick hit .293 over 73 games for West Virginia last season with two home runs, 25 runs batted in and stole 26 bases. Tucker suffered a torn labrum and was placed on the Power Disabled List on August 9, 2015 and underwent shoulder surgery on August 26.

MAN UP: Pittsburgh promoted pitcher Tate Scioneaux on Tuesday and the Power played the Charleston series down one arm in the bullpen. The Pirates promoted Billy Roth to West Virginia Saturday to fill that open spot on the roster. Roth, a right-hander from California, was selected in the 16th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft from Vista High School. Roth spent 2013 in the GCL and pitched for Bristol during each of the last two seasons.

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: West Virginia hosts Hagerstown Saturday though Tuesday. The Power will play 15 straight games against Northern Division opponents after playing 14 in a row against the Southern Division. West Virginia and Hagerstown play two series this year; this four game set and a three game series in August. The Suns lead the all-time series 83-69, but the Power lead the set at Appalachian Power Park 38-36.

TURNING POINT: Entering play on April 24, West Virginia was 14-3 with a .238 average and a staff ERA of 2.16. On the April 24, the Power blew a 10 run lead in an 11-10 walk-off loss. Over the last ten games, the Power are 2-8, batting .225 and have a staff earned run average of 4.12. West Virginia has scored three runs or less in eight of their last ten.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Tito Polo's leadoff home run Thursday was the first time a Power player hit a home run in the first at bat of a game since Max Moroff hit a leadoff homer in Lakewood on June 2, 2013.

TRENDING DOWN: The Power won each of their first five series this season before losing the last three.

ACCOLADES CONTINUE: Mitch Keller was selected as the South Atlantic League Player-of-the-Month for April. The 20-year-old went 2-1 with an 0.86 earned run average, striking out 28 and walking one over 21 innings of work. Keller's ERA is up to 0.96 after one May start, still good enough for the second-best ERA in the league.

POWER POINTS: The next former Power player to reach the Majors will be the 50th to do so in franchise history... Ke'Bryan Hayes homered in back-to-back games during the series in Charleston on Wednesday and Thursday. He is the first Power player this season to hit home runs in two straight games... To clear space on the active roster for Cole Tucker, the Pittsburgh Pirates transferred Logan Ratledge to Extended Spring Training...

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh lost 6-4 at St. Louis in a walk-off. Matt Carpenter hit a two run homer to win it after the Buccos tied it in the top of the ninth... Indianapolis beat Louisville 2-1. Tyler Glasnow struck out 11 over seven shutout innings... Altoona swept a twinbill with Richmond, winning 3-1 and 2-1... Bradenton crushed Charlotte 9-1. Austin Coley earned the win as the Marauders hit four home runs to back Coley.

PROMO UPDATE: On May 21, the Power host the Hickory Crawdads on Armed Forces Night. Any active or retired member of the military will receive a free ticket and their immediate family members are offered a discounted ticket price.

ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on Charleston's ESPN Radio 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, online at wvpower.com and on the TuneIn Radio App. Adam Marco will call the action once again and will be joined by Greg Wong when the team plays at Appalachian Power Park.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 8, 2016


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