SL1 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Yelich's Two Homers Pace 10-4 Suns Win

Published on May 15, 2013 under Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release


MOBILE, Ala. - Christian Yelich homered twice and Daniel Pertusati added a grand slam late as the Jacksonville Suns (21-15) beat the Mobile BayBears (19-20) by a score of 10-4 at Hank Aaron Stadium.

Yelich hit the first leadoff home run of the season for Jacksonville, immediately handing the Suns a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and went deep again in the third inning. The Miami Marlins number two overall prospect became the second Sun to have a multi-home run game in 2013, following Marcell Ozuna's performance on April 24.

The Suns' win snapped a three-game losing streak to the BayBears to open the five-game series and also gave starter Robert Morey (1-0) his first career Southern League victory.

After Yelich's leadoff blast off BayBears starter Anthony Meo (0-4), Mobile erased the one-run deficit in the bottom of the first with a round-tripper of its own. Nick Evans, whose walk off home run beat Jacksonville on Tuesday evening, drove a pitch over the wall in center for his second long ball in as any at-bats to tie the game at one.

In the third, however, it was once again Yelich who gave the Suns the advantage. With Morey on base after a single, Yelich hit an opposite field homer over the left field wall to make it 3-1 Jacksonville, a lead the Suns would not relinquish for the remainder of the afternoon. Yelich finished 3-for-6 with the two homers and a double.

Jacksonville extended the lead to 4-1 on Audy Ciriaco's sacrifice fly later in the third, chasing Meo in the process. The Suns would maintain the three-run cushion into the seventh, when Ryan Fisher hit his first Southern League home run, a two-run shot that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Morey, meanwhile, earned his first win at the Double-A level with six and a third strong innings. The right-hander allowed four runs on just four hits and struck out five before departing in the bottom of the seventh.

The BayBears chased Morey with three runs in that frame to pull to within two, but Jacksonville put the game out of reach an inning and a half later in the top of the ninth. Pertusati came to the plate with Kyle Jensen, Fisher and Ciriaco aboard and launched a Derek Eitel offering over the left field fence for a grand slam. Up 10-4 into the bottom of the ninth, Michael Brady retired the side scoreless to sew up the Suns' first win of the series.

The win prevented what would have been Jacksonville's first four-game losing streak of the season and put an end to the Suns' longest skid against a single opponent in 2013.

Left-hander Adam Conley (1-1, 5.88) is set to take the hill for the Suns in the finale of the five-game series in Mobile on Thursday, while the BayBears will counter with right-hander Bradin Hagens (4-1, 2.78) First pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. ET.

Suns fans can listen to Thursday's game on the Suns Baseball Network, 94.1 WSOS-FM, or through jaxsuns.com, MiLB.com or the Suns iPhone or Android app, beginning at 7:50 p.m. with the UF and Shands Suns Pre-Game Show.

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Southern League Stories from May 15, 2013


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