'Cats Spin Away Lowell With Extra Base Onslaught
TROY, NY- For the second straight game, the combination of Ronnie Mitchell and Dan Gulbransen accounted for four RBI. Add in a contribution from another slugging outfielder, James Ramsay, and the 'Cats become quite hard to beat. Those three totaled 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and went 6-for-12 at the plate, as the ValleyCats knocked off the Spinners, 9-4.
In front of a crowd of 4, 166, the ValleyCats, as they have for most of this season so far, used a constant offensive attack to ward off any potential comeback from the opposition. After Gulbransen's two-run home run in the third inning off of Lowell starter Simon Mercedes increased the Tri-City lead to 3-0, Lowell responded and by the end of the top of the 5th, the game was tied at three. However, the 'Cats immediately struck for three runs and a lead that they would never relinquish. With two on and two out and a run already home, Mitchell nearly homered when his long fly ball one-hopped the wall against reliever Chris Carpenter, who has appeared in the majors with the Red Sox in both of the past two years. One of those runs was charged to Matt Spalding (0-2), who took his second loss in as many appearances this season against the 'Cats.
After a Lowell run made it 6-4 in the 6th, both teams held quiet on offense until Ramsay delivered the insurance in the bottom of the eighth. With two men aboard, Ramsey connected on a fastball from LHP Dylan Chavez and deposited it over the right field wall to give Tri-City the 9-4 advantage that hold true by game's end. For Ramsay, who came into the game hitting at only .160, it was a much welcomed feeling.
"Before that at-bat, I was thinking, it's hard to even get a hit", said Ramsay, the 7th round pick of Houston this year from the University of South Florida. "When I hit it, it felt good, and luckily, it went out of the park."
Other than the most recent outburst by this ValleyCats lineup, the story of this game was the impressive relief appearance by RHP Richard Rodriguez. Zach Morton relieved starter Randall Fant in the 5th, but by the time Morton had loaded the bases in the 6th, manager Ed Romero decided to go to his pen to call on Rodriguez, who made his ValleyCat debut Wednesday night. The right-hander from Santiago, Dominican Republic, answered the call by taking the ball all the way to the end of the eighth and keeping Lowell at bay. Rodriguez (1-0) went 2.2 IP, while allowing just one base hit and striking out three. Romero said that being aggressive on the mound is the key for Rodriguez.
"Rodriguez is a guy that…is a little too passive on the mound" said Romero. "I think tonight, I had to yell a few times from the dugout, but he'll get better. He was outstanding tonight."
Chia-Jen Lo came on in a non-save situation in the 9th to get the final three outs, adding two strikeouts to what has turned into a dominating stretch for the righty from Taiwan. In 5 innings, Lo has yielding just two base runners, while recording eleven punch-outs.
The ValleyCats improved to 4-0 at Joseph L. Bruno stadium this season, scoring at least eight runs in all four games. Interestingly enough, this win improved Tri-City to 8-0 when scoring at least one run this year, as their only two losses in 2013 came in shutouts. The 'Cats and Spinners will close out their quick two-game series Thursday night back here at "The Joe." The scheduled starters for the 7:00 pm first pitch are LHP Evan Grills (0-0, 2.57) for Tri-City and RHP Jamie Callahan (1-0, 0.00) for Lowell. Both announced starters pitched against the other team when the 'Cats and Spinners played in Lowell last week. It's Softball Night at "The Joe", as the ValleyCats honor softball teams from around the area. There will be the third Price Chopper Fireworks show of the season following the last out.