Daily Recap: 7/2

LHP Rich Rundles has been selected as the lone Bison representing the club for the 2008 Triple-A All-Star game in Louisville, KY on July 16. This season, Rundles has a 5-4 record with a 3.58ERA. The game will be televised on ESPN2 as the International League takes on the best from the Pacific Coast League at Louisville Slugger Field.

Akron will send four players to this year’s All-Star Game as infielders Wes Hodges and Josh Rodriguez and relief pitchers Randy Newsom and J.D. Martin were all named to the Southern Division All-Star team today. The Southern Division and Northern Division will square off in Manchester, NH July 16th, and manager Mike Sarbaugh and the rest of the Aeros coaching staff will lead the Southern squad as the defending Southern Division champions.

K-Tribe Blanked by Blue Rocks

The Kinston Indians lost their third straight game Wednesday night, dropping the opener of a three-game series against Wilmington, 2-0, at Historic Grainger Stadium. The Indians were shutout, having scored only seven runs on this four-game homestand. The lack of run support spoiled the best starting outing from Shawn Nottingham, who went five scoreless innings and strikingout seven batters.

Wilmington scored both of their runs off of Mike Finocchi in the sixth inning. The Rocks got a lead-off solo home run by Cody Strait, playing in his first game since being traded from the Cincinnati Reds Organization. Anthony Seratelli added a two-out, RBI-double to plate Kurt Mertins for the second run. Wilmington starter Mario Santiago blanked the K-Tribe over six and 2/3 innings, and Tyler Chambliss picked up his second save.

Sung-Wei Tseng and Neil Wagner added scoreless performances out of the pen as well for the K-Tribe, but the offense amounted to just four hits, only two after the first inning. Jared Goedert was 3-for-2 for the K-Tribe.

The Indians will try to stop the losing streak with Carolina League Pitcher of the Week Josh Tomlin (6-3) taking the mound. He faced the minimum through six in his last start and will try to help the K-Tribe avoid their largest losing skid on the season. First pitch is 7:00 PM on Thirsty Thursday, with $1 12-ounce beers and sodas.

CAPTAINS WIN IN THE 10TH INNING AGAIN

(Kannapolis, NC) – Matt Brown knocked in the go ahead run in the top of the tenth inning and the Captains tacked on two more runs in the inning on the Lake County Captains came from behind to beat the Kannapolis Intimidators on Wednesday 8-5 in ten innings. Karexon Sanchez added an RBI single in the inning and scored the final run. This is the second night in a row the Captains have won a game in ten innings. The Captains are 3-0 on the road trip and upped their road record to 27-12.

The Intimidators got to Captains starter Kelvin De La Cruz in the bottom of the fourth inning when Christian Marrero singled home Matt Inouye with two outs in the inning to make it 1-0. The Intimidators added two more runs in the fifth inning on a two RBI double by Mark Fleisher and it was 3-0.

The Captains stormed back and took the lead against Intimidators starter Charlie Shirek by scoring four runs in the seventh inning. Jeff Hehr led off the inning with a double. Two batters later he scored on a triple by Karexon Sanchez when the ball he hit was lost in sky by center fielder Segio Morales. Sanchez scored on a single by Michael Valdez and Valadez scored on Lucas Montero’s eighth homer run of the year and the Captains led 4-3. The lead was short lived as Fleisher homered in the bottom of the seventh inning off reliever Joey Mahalic to tie it at 4-4.

The Captains regained the lead for good in the top of the eighth in against reliever Johnnie Lowe when Mark Thompson singled and went to second on a wild pitch. He would score on a double by Roman Pena and the lead was 5-4. The Intimidators tied it at 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning on a two out RBI single by Sergio Miranda.

De La Cruz took a no decision going 4.1 innings and allowing three runs on a season high eight hits and striking out four. This is only the third time this year that De La Cruz has not pitched at least five innings and only the third time he has given up three runs or more. Mahalic, who relieved De La Cruz with one out in fifth inning, picked up the win to up his record to 6-2 by throwing 5.2 innings and allowing the two runs on four hits. Lowe took the loss and saw his record fall to 2-4.

The Captains and Intimidators play game two of the four game series on Thursday at 7:05 PM. The Captains will send LHP Ryan Miller (7-2, 1.97) to the mound against the Intimidators RHP Lucas Harrell (0-1, 6.35). The All Captains games can be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

In Other Games...

- Buffalo lost 5-4 in 12 innings. RHP Jeff Stevens allowed a run in two innings on one hit and two strikeouts. RHP Randy Newsom got the loss in his Triple-A debut, going two innings and giving up a run on 3 hits, 1 BB and 3 strikeouts. 1B Jordan Brown was 2-for-6, DH Michael Aubrey was 2-for-5, and OF Brad Snyder was 2-for-4 with 2 HR and 2 RBI.

- Akron won 10-6. RHP Kevin Dixon with a quality start going 6.2 innings and allowing 1 run on 3 hits, 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. SS Brandon Pinckney went 4-for-6 with 2 HR and 2 RBI, RF Stephen Head went 2-for-5 with a HR and RBI, LF Ryan Goleski went 2-for-5 with a 2B, HR and 2 RBI, and catcher Wyatt Toregas went 3-for-5 with 3 HR and 4 RBI.

- Mahoning Valley lost 5-4. RHP P.J. Zocchi went 4 innings and allowed 3 runs on 9 hits, 0 walks and had 4 strikeouts. SS Lonnie Chisenhall stayed hot at the plate going 3-for-5 with an RBI. OF Brock Simpson was 3-for-5 with an RBI.

- The GCL Indians game was suspended in the 1st inning because of rain and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on July 12th.

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