Anderson walk-off double gives Jays 5-4 win
The Chino, CA native started a fifth-inning rally that tied the game, then drove home the game winner in the ninth when he lined a a 2-0 pitch from Jared Springer (L, 0-1) into the left-center field gap. Art Charles, who drew a four-pitch walk, came all the way around from first to end the Jays' three-game losing streak.
Anderson also made a terrific diving catch in right field to end the sixth inning and preserve a 4-3 lead.
It was a back-and-forth game that featured two ties and three lead changes. Johnson City struck first in the opening frame with two runs off starter Tucker Jensen. The first tally came in on Jeremy Schaffer's RBI single and the other came when Lance Jeffries never broke stride from second base and scored when Tony Bryant beat a potential double-play grounder.
The Jays got one run back in the second when Christian Lopes knocked his second homer of the year, but they couldn't do much against righty starter Steven Gallardo, who made his pro debut.
He allowed only one other baserunner on a Dickie Thon fourth-inning infield single and faced only one over the minimum with four strikeouts in his four innings.
Jensen allowed three runs on five hits in his five-inning start. He set down eight batters in a row at one point despite not recording a strikeout.
Bluefield bounced back from a 3-1 deficit in the fifth inning. Anderson lofted his first hit of 2012 into right field and scored on Matt Dean's triple to center field. The ball was nearly a home run as it struck the top of the fence, but it landed back into the field of play. Dean scored the game-tying run when Carlos Ramirez singled through a drawn-in infield.
Lopes tripled in the sixth and scored to make it 4-3 when third baseman Carson Kelly misplayed a slow roller off the bat of Charles. Both Lopes and Dean have tripled in consecutive games. The scales swung back to Johnson City two innings later when they tied the game on an error by catcher Hector Alvarez on a play at the plate.
Southpaw Shane Davis debuted for Bluefield and threw a scoreless sixth and seventh innings. He stood to get the win before the Cards plated the unearned run in the eighth against right-hander Brandon Dorsett.
Dorsett (W, 1-0) allowed two singles and only the unearned run in his first outing as a pro, picking up the win when the Jays walked off in the ninth.
The rubber game of the series is set for Sunday at 6:05 p.m. The dynamic pitching duo of Joe Musgrove and Daniel Norris will go for the Baby Jays in a piggyback. Musgrove started on Opening Night and pitched four innings of one-run, two-hit ball. Norris followed in relief with four perfect innings to record the win at Bristol. This time around it will be Norris starting with Musgrove to come out of the bullpen.
Tickets for all Blue Jays home games are available at the Bowen Field box office, the Tickets page on BluefieldJays.com, and by phone at 304-324-1326.