Sand Gnats Play Two In Lexington... During Game One Of Their Double-Header

Savannah Sand Gnats @ Lexington Legends

July 11, 2015

Game One

Corey Oswalt @ Pedro Fernandez

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	R	H	E
Savannah	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	7	18	2
Lexington	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	1	0	2	8	16	1

W: Stephenson (3-6, 4.26 ERA); L: Griset (0-1, 3.79 ERA)

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Corey Oswalt (3.50 ERA) – 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 2 SO, HR, 6 GO: 8 FO

Tim Peterson (2.25 ERA) – 2 IP, 3 H, R, BB, 3 SO, HR, HBP, 1 GO

Paul Paez (2.03 ERA) – 1 IP, H, 2 SO, 1 FO

Alberto Baldonado (2.09 ERA) – 1 IP, BB, 2 SO

Jimmy Duff (BS, 2, 3.40 ERA) – 1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB, 2 GO

Ben Griset (BS, 1)(L, 0-1, 3.79 ERA) – 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 3 GO: 3 FO

Batters

Patrick Biondi – 3-8, R, RBI (10), 2 SB (18)

Luis Guillorme – 1-6, R, BB, SB (12), 2 SO, GIDP

John Mora – 3-7, R, HR (3), RBI (40), SB (6)

Eudor Garcia – 2-7, R, RBI (33), 4 SO

Michael Katz – 3-6, R, HR (1), 3 RBI (6), BB, SO, GIDP

Jean Rodriguez – 1-7, R, HR (3), RBI (26), 2 SO

Tyler Moore – 2-3, 2B (6), BB

Jonathan Johnson – 2-3, R, 2B (11), SB (15), SO

Natanael Ramos – 1-7, SO

Recap

The Sand Gnats were already scheduled to play two separate 7-inning games Saturday night, but they ended up playing more than that in the first game alone. Savannah would blow 5 leads, including 4 extra inning leads, as they lost 8-7 in the 15^th inning of a game that became hard to watch. It wasn’t that the game became unenjoyable, but you can only watch your team blow so many leads before you open the liquor cabinet. By the time game one was over Saturday night, the Las Vegas 51s game had already started, and both managers had used their bullpens for more than 2 games worth of relief innings. After the Sand Gnats took another lead in the top of the 15^th, Ben Griset entered to protect it in the bottom half, but the Legends quickly tied the game, and then won on a dropped fly ball/sac fly hit to John Mora in RF – Mora was lining up to unleash a throw home, but the ball deflected off his wrist.

Oswalt didn’t finish with a high strikeout total in this start, but he did a great job of keeping the Legends batters off balance throughout the start. Lexington picked up their first run of the game off Oswalt in the 4^th inning without the benefit of a hit, as Corey Toups reached on a throwing error from Eudor Garcia, and then came home on a wild pitch two batters later. The only mistake pitch from Oswalt that the Legends really punished came with two outs in the 5^th innings, and Chase Vallot absolutely punished the meatball for his 5^th blast of the year – Vallot is an 18-year old catcher with a .170 ISO through 200 PA in the SAL. Oswalt would allow two singles in the 6^th, and then intentionally walked the red-hot Ryan O’Hearn to load the bases, but got out of the job on a force out at home (so loading the bases helped) and fly out to RF. He then finished his night with a quick 1-2-3 7^th inning.

Tim Peterson took over in the 8^th and worked around two base runners in the frame to keep things tied. After John Mora launched his third homerun of the year in the top of the 9^th to give Savannah the lead back, Peterson came out for a second inning of relief, but he would allow a one-out homerun to Brandon Downes that tied the game again.

Paul Paez worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless 10^th inning, and then Alberto Baldonado did the same in the 11^th – why were these two limited to 1 IP each? After Michael Katz gave Savannah a 5-3 lead with a two run homerun in the top of the 12^th, Jimmy Duff came in to close this game out in the bottom half of the frame, but couldn’t get the job done. Chad Johnson doubled home one run, and then Wander Franco singled home the tying run with the bases loaded two batters later. With only one out and the bases still loaded, it looked like the Legends would walk off in the 12^th, but then Duff induced consecutive groundouts to finish the frame. Jonathan Johnson would lead off the 13^th with a double, and then scored on a groundout for another Savannah lead, but Lexington came charging right back again in the bottom half, and this time Ben Griset stranded the bases loaded. J.C. Rodriguez led off the 15^th inning with his third homerun of the year, giving Savannah their fourth lead since extra innings started (remember, this was a 7-inning game), but Griset was out of gas by the bottom half. The only out he’d record came on a sac bunt after the Legends picked up a leadoff single. He’d eventually walk the bases loaded before the sac fly/E9 that led to the walkoff run.

Even though this game went until after 11 PM, they still had another 7-inning game to play when it was done, with Ricky Knapp pitching the nightcap for Savannah.

Biondi's catch in the 13th kept this game going

Scoring Highlights

Too much offense to capture it all

Patrick Biondi led off the game with a single, stole 2B and 3B, and then came home on an RBI single from Eudor Garcia.

Luis Guillorme would lead off the 3^rd inning with a single, steal 3B in the frame, and then score on an RBI single from Michael Katz.

John Mora hit a solo blast with two outs in the 9^th inning of a tie game.

After Garcia picked up his second hit of the game, Michael Katz put the Sand Gnats up by 2 runs in the 12^th with his first SAL bomb.

Jonathan Johnson led off the 13^th with a double, advancing to 3B on an E7 during the play, and scoring on a groundout later in the frame.

J.C. Rodriguez led off the 15^th inning with a solo blast to RF.

Oswalt Coverage

Table 1 – Pitch stats by inning

	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th	6^th	7^th	Total
Total	14	9	10	16	18	22	7	96
Strikes	10	7	5	10	13	13	4	62
Swinging*	1	2	0	1	3	1	0	8

*8.3% Swinging strike rate

1^st inning

1) Corey Toups flied out to CF (8/F)

i. Called strike 0-1

ii. Ball 1-1, low

iii. In play

2) Chad Johnson flied out to RF (9/F)

i. Called strike 0-1, knee high and inside corner

ii. Swinging strike 0-2

iii. Ball 1-2, low

iv. Foul 1-2

v. 89 MPH Fastball, in play

3) Ryan O’Hearn flied out to CF (8/F)

i. Ball 1-0, high and outside

ii. Ball 2-0, outside

iii. In play

2^nd inning

1) Wander Franco flied out to CF (8/F)

i. Ball 1-0, low and outside corner

ii. In play

2) Alexis Rivera hit a single back up the middle (S8/G)

i. Called strike 0-1, knee high and inside corner

ii. In play

3) Brandon Downes lined out to 3B (5/L)

i. Swinging strike 0-1

ii. Ball 1-1, bounced outside

iii. Swinging strike 1-2

*Rivera steals 2B (SB)
*Rivera picked off at 2B (PO)

iv. Foul 1-2

v. In play

3^rd inning

1) Chase Vallot walked (BB)

i. Called strike 0-1, knee high and inside corner

ii. Ball 1-1, knee high and inside

iii. Called strike 1-2

iv. Ball 2-2, thigh high and inside

v. Ball 3-2, low and in

vi. Ball 4, bounced outside

2) Samir Duenez lined out to 3B (5/L)

i. Called strike 0-1, thigh high and outside corner

ii. Ball 1-1, inside

iii. In play

3) Luis Valenzuela hit a grounder to JC that started a double play (463/G)

i. In play

4^th inning

1) Toups reached on a throwing error from Garcia – Toups to 2B (E5/G)

i. Ball 1-0, low and outside

ii. Swinging strike 1-1

iii. Ball 2-1, low and outside

iv. Foul 2-2

v. Ball 3-2, low and outside

vi. Foul 3-2

vii. Foul 3-2

viii. In play

2) Johnson hit a groundout to JC – Toups to 3B (43/G)

i. In play

3) O’Hearn flied out to deep CF (8/F)

i. Ball 1-0, high and outside

ii. Foul 1-1

iii. Ball 2-1

iv. Foul 2-2

v. Ball 3-2, bounced inside and away from the catcher
*Toups scores on the wild pitch

vi. In play

4) Franco flied out to CF (8/F)

i. In play

5^th inning

1) Rivera struck out swinging (K/Sw)

i. Swinging strike 0-1

ii. Ball 1-1, inside

iii. Called strike 1-2, knee high and outside corner

iv. Ball 2-2, outside

v. Swinging strike 3

2) Downes lined out to JC (4/L)

i. Swinging strike 0-1

ii. In play

3) Vallot launched a homerun to left center field (HR/F)

i. Foul 0-1

ii. In play

4) Duenez hit a groundout to JC (43/G)

i. Ball 1-0, low

ii. Called strike 1-1, outside corner

iii. Foul 1-2

iv. Foul 1-2

v. Foul 1-2

vi. Foul 1-2

vii. Ball 2-2, bounced outside

viii. Ball 3-2, outside

ix. In play

6^th inning

1) Valenzuela struck out swinging (K/Sw)

i. Ball 1-0, low and inside

ii. Called strike 1-1, belt high and inside corner

iii. Foul 1-2

iv. Foul 1-2

v. Ball 2-2, outside

vi. Swinging strike 3

2) Toups reached on a single into LF (S7/G)

i. Called strike 0-1

ii. In play

3) Johnson lined a single into RF (S9/L)

i. Ball 1-0, low and outside

ii. In play (84 MPH)

4) O’Hearn was intentionally walked (IBB)

i. Ball 1-0, low and outside

ii. Foul 1-1

iii. Ball 2-1, inside

iv. Ball 3-1, bounced

v. Intentional ball 4

5) Franco hit a grounder to Garcia for a force out at home (52/G)

i. Ball 1-0, low and outside

ii. Foul 1-1

iii. In play

6) Rivera flied out to RF (9/F)

i. Ball 1-0

ii. Called strike 1-1

iii. Ball 2-1

iv. In play

7^th inning

1) Downes popped out to Guillorme (6/P)

i. Called strike 0-1, knee high and inside corner

ii. In play

2) Vallot flied out to CF (8/F)

i. Ball 1-0, outside

ii. Ball 2-0, outside

iii. In play

3) Duenez hit a groundout to Guillorme (63/G)

i. Ball 1-0, low

ii. In play

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