7/10/2081 to 7/12/2081
The Charlotte Panthers (34-53)
AT
The Denver Broncos (46-41)
Pitching Matchups:
RH Kenneth Olivera (3-8, 5.15 ERA) VS. RH Christopher Kirk (11-6, 4.63 ERA)
RH Amadeo Carrera (7-8, 4.95 ERA) VS. LH Robert McNett (9-6, 5.04 ERA)
RH Roberto Rodrigues (0-10, 12.23 ERA) VS. RH Tony Rivera (4-5, 5.66 ERA)
The Panthers returned to the place where they had recently been outscored over two games, 38-13. Would they recover from that? Not really, though it began well.
Denver starter
Christopher Kirk served up a two run homer in the first inning to give Charlotte the early lead. In the bottom of the inning,
Russell Thomas extended his hitting streak to 28 games with a triple, and was later knocked to get the Broncos on the board. Kirk would put the team in a bigger hole when he coughed up another two run homer, this one in the 4th inning.
The Broncos then took control of the game. They scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th to tie the game up, and then tacked on three more runs in the 6th inning to take the lead. Charlotte would get a run back in the 8th, but it was not enough in
the Broncos 7-5 victory.
Kirk finished with 7 2/3 innings pitched, 5 runs allowed, 6 strikeouts, and 3 home runs allowed.
Ramon Gomez pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts, to pick up his 6th save.
Thomas finished the game with 3 hits and 2 RBI.
******
In the second game of the series, the Broncos struck for 1 run in the first inning. In the third inning, the floodgates were ripped wide open as the Broncos exploded for 12 runs. The highlights of the inning included:
Russell Thomas extending his hit streak to 29 games with a run-scoring triple,
Alexis Vazquez hitting a bases-loaded triple, and
Ellis Bolling crushing a 3 run homer.
The Broncos didn't stop there. They picked up 2 more runs in the 4th, 1 in the 5th, 1 in the 6th, and, finally, 3 runs in the 8th inning.
Eric Fudge contributed to that last, with a two run homer.
Meanwhile,
Robert McNett held the Panthers lineup at bay, as he finished with 8 scoreless innings and 6 strikeouts, and the
Broncos demolished the Panthers by a final score of 20-0.
Asbel Fuentez finished the game with 4 hits (including 2 doubles and a triple) and 5 runs scored. Thomas had 5 hits and 6 RBI.
Lee Chappel collected 3 hits and 3 RBI before being ejected in the 4th inning for arguing a strikeout call.
*******
The Broncos attempt to sweep the Panthers did not begin well.
Tony Rivera allowed 3 runs in the first inning, and another run in the second inning to the put the Broncos behind, 4-1.
Joseph Swayze belted a homer in the 2nd inning, but Rivera allowed yet another run in the 4th inning, and the Broncos trailed 5-2.
Denver got back a run in the 4th inning, and then erupted for 4 runs in the 5th inning to take the lead.
Ellis Bolling and
Mark Bakke each hit 2 run homers. The Panthers inched within a run in the 6th inning, but they would never get any closer.
Russell Thomas hit a two run homer in the 6th inning to make it 9-6. In the 8th inning, the Broncos put the game out of reach by scoring 6 runs, and
the 15-6 victory was secured.
Alexis Vazquez contributed with a 3 run homer.
Rivera pitched 6 innings and gave up 6 runs. Thomas and Bolling each had 3 hits and 3 RBI in the game. Thomas' hitting streak was extended to 30 games.
Thus ends the 9 game stretch against the hapless Panthers and Braves. The Broncos took 7 of the 9 games. The rest of the month features nothing but teams with .500 or better records.