Pro baseball update

Brandon Crawford Hits Grand Slam in MLB Debut
Crawford Drives in Four in Giants Road Win
(Rochester, Minn.) Former Mankato MoonDog infielder Brandon Crawford was called up to the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, May 26th and made a big impact his Major League debut on Friday night. Crawford, a former 4th round MLB draft pick, was promoted from Single-A San Jose and hit a grand slam off Brewers starting pitcher Shaun Marcum in his third MLB at-bat.
The 6'2'' 215 pound twenty-four year old began the 2011 season at Single-A San Jose due to a broken finger in Spring Training. Crawford made his debut at shortstop for the 2010 World Series Champions at Miller Park on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers. The former UCLA standout went 1-3 with a base on balls from the seven-hole in his debut in a Giants 5-4 victory.
The Mountain View, CA native has spent the past four seasons in the Minor Leagues and had reached as high as Double-A in 2010 before his promotion. Crawford has a career .270 Minor League batting average with 20 home runs and 89 RBI's. As a member of the San Jose Giants in 2011 the infielder was having an outstanding spring. Crawford was hitting .332 with 15 RBI's in 14 games before his promotion.
Crawford played for the Mankato MoonDogs in 2005 and hit .274 in 42 games played. Crawford was a three-year starter at Pac-10 power UCLA from 2006-08 and started in all 179 games of his career. The Bruin infielder had a career .319 batting average with 20 home runs, 13 triples, 44 doubles, 136 RBI's and 145 runs scored. The consistent Crawford helped the Bruins make three consecutive NCAA Regionals. Crawford is the 1st Bruin position player under current head coach John Savage to make it to the Major Leagues.
Crawford is the 78th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major Leagues.
WHITECAPS WIN ONE, LOSE ONE IN LAKE COUNTY

EASTLAKE, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps finished a busy day of baseball with both a win and a loss on Saturday night, picking up a 5-2 victory in a seven-inning nightcap after losing the completion of a suspended game, 3-1, in the first contest of the evening against the Lake County Captains at Classic Park.

West Michigan (20-28) and Lake County (21-27) are now halfway through a busy Memorial Day Weekend series in which six games are scheduled to be completed over a four-day span.

After taking a loss in the early game on Saturday, the Whitecaps jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second contest thanks to a bizarre top of the second inning against Captains’ knuckleballer Steven Wright.

An error and two hit batsmen loaded the bases with one out and Jimmy Gulliver followed with a bouncer to the right side of the infield. First baseman Jesus Aguilar fielded the ball on the move to his right, but fired wildly to the plate and bounced the ball past the catcher as two runs crossed home. After a sacrifice fly made it 3-0, Hernan Perez sent a bouncer towards third that was fielded by a charging Giovanny Urshela, but his throw to first bounced away as Gulliver scored and Perez wound up all the way at third. Moments later, Rob Brantly capped the rally by blasting a knuckleball off the wall in right field for an RBI-double and a 5-0 lead.

When the dust had settled, the Whitecaps had sent nine men to the plate to pick up five runs – all unearned – on three errors, two hit batsmen and just one hit. The first four runs crossed the plate without the benefit of a hit before Brantly’s double put an exclamation point on the inning.

Lake County scratched across single runs in the second and third frames, but that was all that Patrick Cooper (2-3) allowed in an excellent spot start. Helping to eat up innings for a pitching staff essentially dealing with three doubleheaders over a five-day span, the long reliever contributed five strong innings on 73 pitches. He struck out six without issuing a walk, allowing two runs on five hits to earn the victory.

After Cooper’s valiant outing, Logan Hoch (1) came out of the bullpen to pitch the final two innings for his first save of the year.

The loss went to Wright (1-1), a 26-year-old with significant Triple-A experience who is spending time with the Captains while reinventing himself as a knuckleball pitcher. He allowed five runs – all unearned – on six hits over four innings of work.

Saturday’s action began with the completion of a suspended game from May 14. Two weeks ago to the day, the Captains held a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth when the game was halted due to rain, and a washout one day later forced the game’s suspension to extend until Saturday.

Brennan Smith (1-2) started the game for the Whitecaps on May 14 and came back out to the hill to pick up where he left off on Saturday. He retired the first nine batters he faced in order, making it 15 in a row when combined with the first portion of the ballgame. He ended up taking the complete-game loss despite eight solid innings of work, allowing three runs – two earned – on eight hits.

The only run of the resumed ballgame crossed the plate in the seventh. Anthony Gallas reached base on an error to start the seventh inning, and Alex Lavisky drove him in with a double to give Lake County a 3-1 cushion.

West Michigan mounted a rally in the ninth, getting singles from Hernan Perez and Billy Nowlin before a sacrifice bunt pushed the runners to second and third with one out. With the potential game-tying run in scoring position, however, Captains’ flame-thrower Trey Haley struck out both Nick Castellanos and Steven Moya swinging to end the ballgame.

Haley (1) earned his first save of the year with two scoreless innings, while Jordan Cooper (1-1) earned the victory. Cooper picked up the action when the Captains took the field in the fifth, tossing three scoreless innings of relief and stranding four baserunners to hold the lead


The longest game of the season continues tonight in Winnipeg...The RailCats and Goldeyes are tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 13th...Trailing 4-2, the RailCats netted single runs in the eighth and ninth to tie the game, taking advantage of errors in each inning...Both teams scored two runs in the 12th with Mike Rohde driving in the go ahead run, his second RBI of the game, and Mike Valadez dropping down a squeeze...Winnipeg countered against Brian Grening in the bottom of the inning, tying the game on a two-out two run single from Alan Rick...There are a combined 30 hits, 16 for Winnipeg and 14 for the RailCats...All but one RailCat has a hit...Nolan Nicholson allowed three runs in 6.1 innings as the starter for the RailCats...Adam Klein is 3-for-5 with a walk...Chris Carrara has scored three runs...The RailCats have used six pitchers in the game...=



Evansville comeback falls short in 10-7 loss
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) - The Gateway Grizzlies defeated the Evansville Otters 10-7 on Saturday night at Bosse Field.
Gateway has now won back to back games in this series and will try for a sweep on Sunday afternoon.
The Otters started with the 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout from catcher Billy Killian but the Grizzlies surged back.
Gateway took advantage of an error in the field as catcher Landon Hernandez walked with the bases loaded to tie the game. Outfielder Joe Agreste then hit a grand slam off Evansville starter Mike Anton to right field as the Grizzlies pulled ahead 5-1.
Billy Killian then plated another run on a groundout again as Evansville cut the deficit down to three runs but Gateway rallied once again.
The Grizzlies scored four more runs in the 6th inning on their way to the victory.
Evansville clawed back for a few runs over the final innings before losing 10-7.
Catcher Billy Killian finished 1 for 4 with three runs batted in as outfielder Greg Alexander recorded two hits and had two runs scored as well.
Grizzlies starter Josh Whitlock (1-1) received the win after allowing 5 runs (2 earned) over 6 2/3 innings. The loss goes to lefty Mike Anton (0-1), who gave up 7 runs (2 earned) in his first start of the season.
Gateway is now 4-4 following the win as Evansville falls to 1-7.
The Grizzlies and Otters will close out the three game series tomorrow afternoon at Bosse Field. Right-hander Kyle Barry (1-0, 3.00 ERA) starts for Evansville as he will be opposed by fellow righty Adrian Garza (0-1, 14.55 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. as the weekend of games are sponsored by Eastland Mall and G.D. Ritzy's. Stop by any location tomorrow for a free ticket to the game.

INDIANS RALLY FROM 7-0 DEFICIT TO DEFEAT PAWSOX 9-7
SS Josh Harrison Goes 5-for-5, Bullpen Tosses Seven Scoreless

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Indianapolis rallied back from an early 7-0 deficit with nine unanswered runs led by shortstop Josh Harrison, who went 5-for-5 with three runs and two RBI, while four Tribe relievers combined for seven innings of scoreless relief to seal the Indians 9-7 victory over the Pawtucket Red Sox on Saturday night at McCoy Stadium.

With the win Indianapolis improves to 23-27 on the season, while the loss drops Pawtucket's record to 24-24. The victory also gives the Indians a 3-0 series lead over the Red Sox, while the Tribe has also now won 13 of their last 15 contests against the PawSox dating back to 2009.

Indianapolis looked to be well on their way to defeat when Pawtucket jumped out to a 7-0 lead with a run in the first and six more in the second. However, with a huge night from Harrison and some excellent efforts out of the Tribe bullpen the Indians were able to come away with the victory.

The Tribe began the comeback trail in the fourth when Harrison lifted a two-out double to left and then traveled along when C Dusty Brown followed with a home run to center. The longball from Brown tied him with OF Alex Presley for the team lead with six homers so far this season.

Then in the sixth the Indians continued to chip away at the PawSox lead as they tacked on two more tallies. After collecting singles earlier in the frame, 3B Andy Marte and Harrison trotted home on sacrifice fly by 2B Brian Friday and a Red Sox wild pitch to cut the deficit to 7-4.

The late inning magic continued in the eighth when Marte led off the frame with a single before a walk by 1B Matt Hague set the stage for Harrison. The right handed slugger did not disappoint as he lined a double to center to score Marte, before a Pawtucket throwing error allowed another run to cross the plate and bring the Indians with-in one at 7-6.

Later in the eighth, Harrison evened the score at 7-7 when he crossed home on a close play at the plate off a fielder's choice by Friday. Then for the second straight night the Indians put together an exciting ninth inning rally to come away with the victory.

As he has so many times this season, Presley came through with a key base hit as he roped a single to center with one out in the ninth. Then after a base hit by the red hot Marte moved Presley to second and a groundout pushed him to third, the International League hits leader sped home on a passed ball to give the Indians their first lead of the night at 8-7.

For good measure, Harrison would tack on an insurance run with his third double of the night that scored Hague and pushed the Tribe lead to 9-7. Overall, Harrison finished the night a perfect 5-for-5 from the dish, becoming the first Tribe batter to collect five base knocks since Presley accomplished the feat twice last season.

Joining Harrison with multi-hit efforts were Presley (2-for-5, 1 R), who extended his IL best hits total to 65 with two base knocks on the evening and Marte (3-for-5, 2 R), who has now hit safely in seven of his last eight contests during which time he has posted a .345 batting average (10-for-29) with five runs, three home runs and nine RBI. Brown (1-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB) and Friday (0-for-3, 2 RBI) also joined Harrison in driving in multiple runs for the Tribe.

All in all, the Indians amazing offensive comeback was made possible thanks to dominating work from the Indianapolis bullpen. RHP Chris Leroux (4.0 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 4 SO) excelled on the mound for the Tribe as he allowed just one hit over four exceptional innings of relief.

Following Leroux, RHP Blaine Boyer (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 SO) tossed an inning of scoreless relief, while LHP Tony Watson (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB) earned the victory to improve to 1-2 on the season and RHP Cesar Valdez (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 SO) pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his second save.

Neither starter figured in the decision as Tribe LHP Justin Wilson (2.0 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO) turned in his worst outing of the year, allowing seven runs (six earned) in just two innings of work, while Pawtucket starter Kyle Weiland (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO) took the tough loss as he struck out eight and allowed just two runs over five innings.

Pawtucket powered their way out to the 7-0 advantage thanks in part to solo home runs from Hector Luna and Michael McKenry as well a two-run shot from 3B Brent Dlugach. However, despite the early inning seven run outburst, the Pawtucket offense was held to just seven hits and left 11 men on base.

Indianapolis will now look for the sweep when they take on Pawtucket in the series finale on Sunday night at 6:05 p.m. RHP Brad Lincoln is scheduled to take the hill in the series finale for the Indians, while LHP Andrew Miller is expected to get the start for the PawSox.

The contest will be carried on WNDE 1260 AM, WNDE.com and via iheartradio, a mobile application for iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones with Howard Kellman and Scott McCauley on the call. The pre-game show begins at 5:45 p.m

Midwest Baseball

TinCaps stifled by Smith, lose 2-1
West Michigan rallies in 7th for win
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. – West Michigan Whitecaps RHP Brennan Smith shut down the TinCaps
on Sunday as Fort Wayne lost, 2-1, at Fifth Third Ballpark, snapping its four-game win streak. Jose
Dore drilled a solo homer.
The game was delayed by 37 minutes thanks to a broken irrigation pipe behind the pitcher’s
mound.
Fort Wayne threatened in the top of the first when Rico Noel drew a leadoff walk and Rymer
Liriano singled to left. But Noel was picked off and Liriano was caught stealing to short-circuit the
rally and the TinCaps came up empty.
In the bottom of the first, RHP Adys Portillo had runners at the corners with one out but worked
out of the jam by striking out Billy Nowlin and erasing P.J. Polk on a failed double steal.
Dore put the TinCaps ahead with his solo blast in the top of the second inning, but it was the only
run Fort Wayne scored. Smith entered in the third inning to replace an injured Whitecaps RHP Jeff
Ferrell and delivered 5.2 scoreless innings. He allowed a double and a walk and struck out four to
pick up the win.
West Michigan rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Hernan Perez hit a leadoff double and scored
on a pair of wild pitches. Nowlin then doubled, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a goahead
single by Nick Castellanos.
Smith (1-1) picked up the win. Fort Wayne LHP Mark Hardy (1-4) took the loss. West Michigan
RHP Bruce Rondon snagged his sixth save with a perfect ninth inning.
The TinCaps fell to 18-25 while West Michigan improved to 17-24.

Evansville Otters Baseball

Otters to open 17th Season in Evansville at Historic Bosse Field

Evansville, IN May 16, 2010 – In just four days the Evansville Otters will open their 17th season at historic Bosse Field. The Otters will be taking on Florence Freedom on Friday May 20th at 6:35 PM.

“For the past eleven years, Fifth Third Bank has helped set the tone for the season by sponsoring an opening night full of fun events," says Otters President Bill Bussing. "Fans at Friday night's game are in for a treat."

The Otters will join longtime corporate partner Fifth Third Bank in presenting an opening night that celebrates baseball, demonstrates fan appreciation and embraces community outreach. The first 5,000 fans entering the ballpark will receive a magnet schedule, and Fifth Third Bank will distribute buckets to the first 600 kids for use in the popular 53,000 penny pick up, which follows the game.

Fifth Third Bank and the Otters are also collaborating on a huge food drive, for which they hope to collect 5,300 meals to benefit the Tri-State Food Bank. Fans can drop off non-perishable items at any tri-state Fifth Third location and receive free opening night tickets. Fans can also bring two non-perishable items to Bosse Field to receive a ticket to the evening’s game. Fans who bring cans to the game will also be entered into a drawing, as five lucky people will win $53 in Otterbucks courtesy of Fifth Third Bank. Also new this year will be a return to white home jerseys for the Otters. The Otters and Fifth Third will be auctioning off a jersey with proceeds from the jersey auction going to the Tri State Food Bank as well. “We know that many area residents depend on the Tri-State Food Bank during these challenging economic times, so it’s a real pleasure to support their efforts while celebrating another exciting season of Otters baseball,” offered Lloyd Winnecke, Senior Vice President and Marketing Director for Fifth Third Bank. “I’m confident that the generosity of Otters fans will really shine through on opening night. We look forward to collecting a lot of food to benefit those most in need in our community,” Winnecke said.

Nick Hill, who participates in the Tri-State Food Bank’s ever-growing Kids Café, will represent Fifth Third Bank by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Pre-game festivities will also include local fan favorite Gina Moore singing the National Anthem

Midwest League Baseball Acion

Silver Hawks Take Down Top Pitcher
Bullpen Continues Dominance in 4-1 Victory

Dayton, OH – The last thing the South Bend Silver Hawks needed after managing just two runs on eight hits combined over the last two days was to go up against one of the league’s best pitchers on Wednesday night…or so it seemed. The Hawks plated four runs on 13 hits in taking down Josh Smith (LP, 2-2) in a 4-1 decision over the Dayton Dragons at Fifth Third Field.

Smith entered the game ranked second in the league in both ERA (0.93) and strikeouts (35). He managed eight strikeouts, but the Silver Hawks scored three times against him in 5.0 innings to send him to the loss.

The offense set the tone early by forcing Smith into 24 pitches in the first inning, despite not scoring a run. Smith threw another 28 pitches in the second inning and it all started with Chris Jarrett working a leadoff walk after falling behind 0-2. After stealing second, Jarrett advanced to third on a Bobby Stone single and scored on a single from Raul Navarro for the early 1-0 lead.

Matt Helm led off the third with a triple and scored on a one out single from Raywilly Gomez to make it 2-0.

Yazy Arbelo then finished out the scoring against Smith in the fifth by launching a home run to right field for the 3-0 lead. The blast that entirely left the stadium was Arbelo’s seventh of the season, tying for the Midwest League lead.

Arbelo and Gomez teamed up in the seventh with back-to-back doubles to score South Bend’s final run of the night.

South Bend starter Bradin Hagens (ND) battled his way through 4.0+ innings, but departed with no decision due to a high pitch count. Hagens allowed just one run in his time on the mound, as he continues to develop in the starting role.

The Silver Hawks bullpen was phenomenal once again with Mike Bolsinger (WP, 2-0) and Blake Cooper (SV, 4) combining for 5.0 scoreless innings. Cooper has now thrown five perfect innings in a row, and the bullpen has permitted just two earned runs over their last 30.1 innings pitched


TinCaps defeated by Lansing, 12-2
Bisson slugs first pro home run in three-hit night
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Chris Bisson had three hits including his first professional home run, but
the TinCaps dropped the series opener against Lansing, 12-2, Wednesday at Parkview Field.
Lansing scored single runs in the first two innings without a hit. Gustavo Pierre drew a walk, stole
second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on K.C. Hobson’s groundout in the opening
inning. In the second, Michael Crouse was hit by the first pitch of the inning, stole second and
third and scored on a wild pitch.
Fort Wayne cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third when Bisson lined a home run over the
right-field wall to make it a 2-1 game.
The Lugnuts opened the floodgates in the game’s middle stages. They scored six runs in the fourth
inning, keyed by Pierre’s two-run double. Then Lansing scored four more runs in the fifth inning as
Pierre launched a three-run homer.
The TinCaps plated their final run in the sixth. Rymer Liriano bounced a single to right and raced
home on Jake Blackwood’s RBI double into the left-field corner.
Fort Wayne RHP Adys Portillo (0-4) took the loss; Lansing RHP Daniel Webb (3-1) picked up the
win.
Fort Wayne fell to 10-17; Lansing stayed atop the division as the Lugnuts improved to 17-9.
The TinCaps and Lugnuts (Class-A Toronto Blue Jays) continue the three-game series Thursday at
7:05 p.m. on a special Thirsty Thursday, Cinco de Mayo. Fort Wayne LHP Andrew Werner (1-3)
goes to the mound against Lugnuts RHP Casey Lawrence (2-2).

South Bend Silver Hawks recap May 1st

Bats Wake Up in 8-5 Victory
Walters goes 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs

South Bend, IN - The South Bend Silver Hawks exploded for their biggest offensive output since April 13th in an 8-5 victory over the Great Lakes Loons on Sunday afternoon. Zach Walters led the attack with three hits and three RBIs in the series opening victory at Coveleski Stadium.

Yazy Arbelo started the scoring with a two run homer in the bottom of the first inning against Loons starter Tim Sexton (ND). The shot to left-center was Arbelo's sixth of the season and his second against Sexton this season.

However, South Bend went quiet until the sixth inning, leaving eight runners on base through the first four innings and 12 for the game. It wasn't until the Loons took a 4-2 lead that South Bend finally woke back up.

When the offense started clicking again, it did so in a big way. Brant Stickel (LP, 0-2) walked Bobby Stone to start the sixth inning and that opened the flood gates. Ender Inciarte followed with a bunt single - his third hit of the game in his 2011 Silver Hawks debut - to put runners at the corners. Mike Freeman added a RBI double to bring the Hawks within one.

Walters was next to the plate, and he came through with a two run double down the left field line to put the Silver Hawks ahead for good. Matt Helm brought Walters home from second with one of his three singles on the day to push the lead to 6-4.

Walters would pick up a sacrifice fly in the seventh and Arbelo added another RBI as they both finished with three RBIs on the day. Arbelo now has 19 on the season to lead the team, with Walters on his heels with 16 RBIs this season.

David Holmberg (ND) started and allowed four runs over 5.0 innings. Brian Budrow (WP, 2-0) earned the win in relief, pushing his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 7.2. Blake Cooper (SV, 3) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Bobby Coyle led the Loons with two hits and three RBIs.

The Silver Hawks and Loons continue the three game series on Monday night with South Bend Community Day at the Cove. South Bend residents can save $1 off their ticket price by showing a driver's license at the ticket window for the 6:30 PM start. RHP Jeff Shields (1-2, 5.06 ERA) will be on the hill for the Hawks against Great Lakes' LHP Ryan Christenson (1-1, 5.89 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 PM Eastern Time on www.sportsjuice.com and www.silverhawks.com.

Click Here for Box Score
May 1, 2011 R H E LOB WP: Brian Budrow (2-0)
Great Lakes Loons (14-10) 5 9 1 9 LP: Brant Stickel (0-2)
South Bend Silver Hawks (8-14) 8 16 1 12 SV: Blake Cooper (3)

Time of Game: 2:45 Attendance: 1,002