Game 116 Preview: Power at BlueClaws
Game #116 — Road Game #57
West Virginia Power (21–24, 58–57) at Lakewood BlueClaws (19–24, 48–65)
Thurday, August 8–7:05 p.m.
FirstEnergy Park (Lakewood, N.J.)
PENA HOMERS AGAIN IN 8–6 LOSS: Onil Pena drilled his third home run in as many games, but Rome rallied for six unanswered runs over the seventh and eighth innings to take the series finale, 8–6, Tuesday afternoon at Appalachian Power Park. The Braves got off to an early start against Nate Fisher, scoring a run in each of the first two frames. However, West Virginia responded with three runs in the third. Charlie McConnell singled to begin the frame and Manny Pazos smacked a double to left that put runners at second and third with nobody out. Two batters later, Matt Sanders beat out an infield single to the shortstop to plate a run, while Julio Rodriguez doubled in Pazos and Bobby Honeyman scored Sanders with an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the fourth,Dean Nevarez singled to set the stage for Pena, who mashed a baseball 433 feet to straightaway center that extended the Power’s lead to 5–2. Fisher settled down after a rough two innings, retiring the final 11 men he faced and recording his first career quality start through six innings. Reid Morgan entered in the seventh and did not fare well, serving up four runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth on a pair of solo homers by Braulio Vasquez and Justin Dean that cemented Rome in front for good. Pena got a run back in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI single, but Tanner Lawson shut the door on West Virginia in the ninth.
PITCHING MATCH-UP:
RHP Ryne Inman (7–7, 4.74 ERA) toes the slab for West Virginia, while Lakewood counters with RHP Tom Sutera (0–1, 13.50 ERA).
Inman makes his team-high 24th start with the Power this season and his third against the BlueClaws. In his previous two starts against Lakewood, Inman has tossed ten innings, surrendered five runs on seven hits and earned a win. Over his last two outings, the 23-year-old has not made it past the fourth inning and allowed a combined eight runs on 13 hits in a loss and a no-decision.
Sutera makes just his third appearance for Lakewood and his first start of the season for the BlueClaws. The 22-year-old dominated the New York Penn League with the Williamsport Crosscutters before his promotion to Lakewood, posting a 1.90 ERA in seven games (three starts). Unfortunately for the Sienna College product, his success has not carried over, as Sutera has conceded six runs on ten hits in just four innings of work with the ‘Claws.
POWER LINEUP:
Ryan Ramiz — LF
Matt Sanders — 2B
Julio Rodriguez — RF
Bobby Honeyman — 3B
Austin Shenton — DH
Jake Anchia — C
Onil Pena — 1B
Mike Salvatore — SS
Charlie McConnell — CF
Ryne Inman— RHP
GAME NOTES:
BUSTING OUT OF A SLUMP: After going 4-for-42 in an 11-game stretch from July 15 to August 2, Pena has really broken out in the last three games. He has posted three straight multi-hit games, as well as homered in his last three contests against Rome. Pena is the first Power slugger to go deep in three straight ballgames since Adrian Valerio accomplished the feat June 22–24, 2017, vs. Lexington. The last West Virginia batter to leave the yard in four consecutive games was Eric Avila on August 16–19, 2012, at Kannapolis. Pena now has 15 homers on the season, the most on the team and fifth-most among current South Atlantic League sluggers. The first baseman has seven hits in his last 13 at-bats with six RBI, as well as became the second Power player this season to hit three homers in a series (Jarred Kelenic, April 25–28 vs. Asheville). Pena is the first West Virginia hitter to collect at least 15 home runs in a single season since JaCoby Jones mashed 23 dingers in 2014. The Dominican Republic native also compiled the most hits he has had in a single series this season (7).
HOMER HAPPY: Pena’s bomb in the fourth inning marked West Virginia’s 96th home run of the season, third-most in the South Atlantic League (Greensboro, 111 and Hickory, 125). The Power has hit 55 of their 96 homers at Appalachian Power Park, the third-highest home long ball total in the league (Hickory, 76). The 2019 West Virginia squad has the fifth-most homers a Power team has posted in team history. West Virginia’s highest home run total since becoming the Power is a whopping 128 dingers in 2007.
SURGING SANDERS: With his 1-for-5 effort Tuesday, Sanders extended his hitting streak to nine games. During this streak that dates back to July 28, Sanders has a .308 (12-for-39) average with a homer and three RBI. Thanks to this recent surge, Sanders has raised his average with the Power from .255 to .282. In 20 games with West Virginia, the former Troy infielder has two homers and 10 RBI.
JULIOOOOOO: Julio pushed his hitting streak to six games Tuesday with his 2-for-5 effort with a double and an RBI. The outfielder is averaging .385 (10-for-26) with a homer and four RBI during this streak, tied for the longest streak he has had this season (April 4–9). Julio also tallied his 22nd multi-hit game Tuesday afternoon, as well as his fourth of the streak. Julio’s 22 multi-hit affairs are fourth-most on the team (Joseph Rosa, 23; Ryan Ramiz, 25 and Honeyman, 29). Julio’s 10 hits over this most recent homestand are the most he has had in any homestand this year.
DOMINANT DAYEISON: Dayeison Arias has really turned it on over his last few outings, spinning five consecutive hitless innings dating back to July 25. The right-hander’s 11 saves are the most by a West Virginia reliever since Nick Neumann recorded a Power-franchise record 17 saves in 19 opportunities in 2015. His 11 saves are second-most in the South Atlantic League (Alexander Martinez, Asheville, 14) and in the Mariners’ system (Art Warren, Double-A Arkansas, 14). Arias has only allowed an earned run in six of his 36 total appearances, and the Power have won the last seven games he has appeared in.
POWER POINTS: McConnell has not committed an error in 60 consecutive games (May 15 at Charleston)… Fisher recorded a career-best six strikeouts over a career-high six innings of work Tuesday… Reeves Martin has not allowed a run over his last 5.1 innings, spanning three appearances… Morgan gave up a career-high six runs and six hits… Austin Shenton notched his fourth multi-hit game since joining the Power… West Virginia went 3-for-9 with RISP, stranding six.
ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on The Jock 1300 and 1340 AM in the Kanawha Valley, online at wvpower.com and on the TuneIn Radio App. David Kahn and Kyle Youmans will handle play-by-play duties in 2019. Thursday’s pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on the West Virginia Power Baseball Network.
