7/4/2081 to 7/5/2081
The Charlotte Panthers (32-49)
AT
The Denver Broncos (42-39)
Pitching Matchups:
LH Jacob Barros (8-7, 4.34 ERA) VS. RH Kenny Pillsbury (7-7, 4.44 ERA)
RH Kenneth Olivera (3-7, 4.76 ERA) VS. RH Christopher Kirk (10-6, 4.70 ERA)
Denver and Charlotte kicked off the second half of the season by playing a......football game? Fans might have been confused, as both teams got the fireworks started early in an Independence Day slugfest.
Kenny Pillsbury got off to a poor start, giving up solo homers in each of the first two innings.
Joseph Swayze tied the game up with a two run homer in the bottom of the second, but Pillsbury wasn't finished. In the third, he gave up a three run homer, and the Panthers led 5-2. Denver inched closer with a run in the third, but Charlotte got the run back in the 4th inning, to lead 6-3.
The Broncos took control of the game with two runs in the 4th and 3 runs in the 5th, giving them an 8-6 lead. Charlotte got back within a run in the top of the 6th, but the Broncos offense erupted in the bottom of the 6th for 8 runs.
Ellis Bolling ripped a three run homer, and Swayze provided his second homer of the game, a two run shot. The Panthers got two runs back in the 7th, but the Broncos responded with three more runs to take a 19-9 lead.
Mark Bakke capped the Broncos scoring with a homer in the 8th inning. The Panthers would plate one more run themselves, but the
Broncos prevailed 20-10.
Swayze finished with 5 hits (2 doubles and 2 homers), 6 RBI, and 4 runs scored. Bolling has 2 hits and 5 RBI. Bakke,
Russell Thomas, and
Asbel Fuentez finished with 3 hits apiece; for Thomas, it extended his hitting streak to 22 games.
Pillsbury wound up with 7 runs allowed in 6 innings, and he gave up 3 home runs.
******
Denver kept up their awesome display of offensive firepower in sweeping the two game series with Charlotte, with
an 18-3 rout of the Panthers.
They got started with a 4 run first inning, and never looked back.
Lee Chappel and
Ellis Bolling hit back to back homers in the inning; Chappel's was a two run blast. The Panthers initially made a game of it, scoring 3 runs in the second inning, but then it was all Denver.
Mark Bakke homered in the third inning, and Chappel hit an RBI double in the 4th to make it 6-3. A solo homer from
Joseph Swayze contributed to a 3 run fifth inning, putting Denver on top 9-3. Swayze added a second homer, this one a two run shot, in the 6th inning, and the Broncos led 11-3. In the 7th inning, Swayze hit his 3rd home run of the game- a 3 run blast- and the Broncos scored 5 runs to make the score 16-3. Finally, Chappel hit a two run homer in the 8th to finish off the destruction of the Panthers.
Chappel finished with 5 hits, 5 RBI, and 3 runs scored.
Russell Thomas extended his hitting streak to 23 games with a 4 hit performance; he also scored 4 runs. Swayze hit the 3 homers and drove in 6 runs altogether- giving him 5 homers and 12 RBI in the two games against Charlotte. Bakke had 3 hits and scored 4 runs.
Christopher Kirk didn't really need to be that effective, but aside from the 3 run 2nd inning, he was excellent. Kirk tossed 8 innings and struck out 6 batters.