4/18/2081 to 4/20/2081
The Knoxville 79ers (9-5)
AT
The Denver Broncos (4-10)
Expected Pitching Matchups:
Edward Headrick (2-1, 3.38 ERA) VS. Arden Hawthorn (0-2, 8.16 ERA)
Raul Vilardebo (2-1, 1.80 ERA) VS. Robert McNett (1-1, 5.03 ERA)
Clarence Kahn (2-1, 4.30 ERA) VS. Christopher Kirk (1-2, 6.55 ERA)
Seven in a Row
4/19/2081
Al Vincent
Staff Writer
The Broncos lost their 7th consecutive game when reliever
Ramon Gomez gave up the go ahead run in the 9th inning to lose 4-3 to the 79ers.
Arden Hawthorn gave the Broncos 6 2/3 innings of solid pitching, but got battered for 12 hits, and failed to hold leads of 1-0 and 3-1. On the positive side,
Joseph Swayze and
Eric Fudge each delivered home runs in the game.
Bolling Comes Through!
4/20/2081
Al Vincent
Staff Writer
The Broncos stopped their losing streak when struggling 1B
Ellis Bolling delivered a 2 out, run scoring single in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game 8-7 in what was a crazy, back and forth contest. The Broncos jumped on Knoxille starter
Raul Vilardebo early, scoring 2 runs in the first inning.
Robert McNett couldn't hold the lead, however, and Knoxville went ahead 3-2 in the second inning.
It remained 3-2 until the 8th inning, when Denver reliever
James Virgen imploded, giving up 3 runs in the 8th to put Knoxville ahead by a seemingly insurmountable lead of 6-2. The Broncos wouldn't go down without a fight, however, and managed to put across 4 runs in the bottom half of the inning. The tie game didn't last long, as Virgen blew it again, allowing Knoxville to take a 7-6 lead in the ninth inning.
Once more, Denver rallied.
Tomas Sato, who had 4 hits and 3 RBI in the game, delivered a 2 run double with 2 outs to tie the game at 7 apiece. That set the stage for the badly struggling slugger, Bolling. Mired in a slump that has seen his batting average hovering on the low side of .160, Bolling stepped to the plate and delivered the base hit that scored Sato to win the game 8-7. Bolling seemed rejuvenated after the game. "Man, I know it's just one hit, and I didn't do much else in the game, but to come through with the hit to win the game... it makes you feel like you're going to turn things around really quickly. I'm just thankful the other guys were getting the job done and were able to me in the position to come through," he said.
Also coming through with an impressive performance was McNett. Despite blowing the early 1-0 lead, McNett came through with a 7 inning performance, allowed just 6 hits, 3 runs, and struck out 6 batters.
Two in a Row!
4/21/2081
Al Vincent
Staff Writer
The Broncos made it two straight victories when they beat Knoxille 6-5 yesterday. Starting pitcher
Christopher Kirk gave up a run in the 2nd inning, but in the bottom half of the second,
Joseph Swayze slammed a 2 run homer to give the Broncos the lead. In the 4th inning, they pushed the lead to 5-1, and heading into the 9th inning, they led 6-3. Kirk pitched into the ninth inning before tiring. He gave up two more runs before
Ramon Gomez finished things off, preserving the victory.
Asbel Fuentez delivered 3 hits, and Swayze hit a double, a homer, and drove in three runs.
Manager John Wilkerson told his players to relax as much as possible on today's day off, because after today, they have a stretch of 14 consecutive games without a day off, beginning with the reeling Charlotte and Atlanta baseball clubs. "I told them to take it easy today, rest up, and get themselves prepared, because we've got a grueling stretch coming up," he said.