Lack Of Run Support Squanders Polanco's Fast Start

ASHEVILLE, NC-- Asheville's starting pitcher, Carlos Polanco, seemed to have everything working on Tuesday night against the Savannah Sand Gnats. Polanco was locating pitches exactly where he wanted and the strikeouts started piling up. The right-hander accumulated nine of them in the first four innings. However, Polanco ran into some trouble in the fifth and was saddled with a loss as the Tourists fell 4-1.

Wuilmer Beccerra, the only player who Polanco did not strikeout, led off the fifth inning with a double to right. Two batters later, John Leroux singled in Beccerra. Vicente Lupo made it 3-0 later in the frame with a two-run Home Run down the left field line. Beccerra added a solo Home Run of his own a few innings later. Polanco finished with five innings pitched.

The Tourists had their own right-hander to deal with and it came in the form of Casey Meisner. The Sand Gnats starter didn't need the strikeout and the Tourists time after time hit into outs. Meisner had just three in 8.1 innings pitched.

When Asheville would put runners aboard, they left them there or ran into outs. Asheville was caught stealing twice, hit into two double plays, and Emerson Jimenez was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.

The home team found their rhythm at the plate in the last two innings. They even had a stretch where they recorded five hits in six plate appearances off Meisner; but the runs just would not come. In the bottom of the ninth trailing 4-0, Josh Fuentes doubled home Shane Hoelscher. After Meisner retired Drew Weeks, David Roseboom entered and recorded the game's final two outs.

With the loss, the Tourists are 3-3 with one game left in their current homestand. Wednesday night's rubber match is scheduled for 7:05pm.