Ricca homers as Power is swept in doubleheader

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 28, 2019) - Caleb Ricca hits his first home run with West Virginia in game two, but the Power offense was subdued to six total hits as they were swept by the Lexington Legends in Wednesday's doubleheader at Whitaker Bank Ballpark.

GAME 1: Lexington 4, West Virginia 2 (F/7)
Both offenses wasted no time getting going, as the Power and Legends (27-36, 64-68) each plated two runs in the opening frame. For West Virginia, Billy Cooke reached on a throwing error by Carlos Hernandez (3-2) to lead off the ballgame and moved to second on the play. Cooke then swiped third and came in to score as Hernandez uncorked a wild pitch that put Caleb Ricca at first via a walk. After Ryan Ramiz popped out, Ricca swiped second and Bobby Honeyman brought him in with a base hit to left to make it 2-0 Power.
In his second Low-A with West Virginia (30-33, 67-66), Juan Then (0-2) struck out two of the first three batters he faced, but hit Jeison Guzman with a pitch in between them to keep the inning alive. Guzman then stole second and moved to third after Chris Hudgins was plunked and Nathan Eaton worked a walk to load the bases. The next batter, Reed Rohlman, stepped in and ripped a single to center, sending Guzman and Hudgins home to tie the game at two. 
Hernandez and Then settled in and tossed scoreless second frames, but Lexington charged ahead in the third when Eric Cole drilled a no-doubt home run to right field that put the Legends up 3-2.
Then concluded his day after five innings of work, during which he scattered just four hits and struck out five on 93 pitches. Logan Rinehart took over in the sixth, but Lexington used two hits and a hit by pitch to add an insurance run. 
Daniel James (S,4) finished off the game with a 1-2-3 seventh, succeeding a quality start from Hernandez, who struck out eight and ceded just two hits to pick up the win.
GAME 2: Lexington 6, West Virginia 1 (F/7)
Lexington (28-36, 65-68) began the scoring in the first for the second straight game as Nick Hutchins roped a two-out single to left field and scored Rubendy Jaquez from second and made it 1-0. The Legends struck again in the second as an error from Ricca at shortstop kept the inning alive. Jaquez homered off the left field foul pole following a walk that made it 4-0 Lexington.
Bruce Steel then tallied a two-out single against Benjamin Onyshko (3-4) that plated two more runs in the third and extended the Lexington lead to 6-0. Charlie Neuweiler (7-10) dazzled through the West Virginia (30-34, 67-67) order with five scoreless innings and seven strikeouts to start his outing.
In the sixth, Ricca crushed an opposite-field blast for his first homer in a West Virginia uniform, and put the Power on the board at 6-1. Despite the homer, Neuweiler retired the next three hitters and returned to the hill in the seventh where he tied his career high with 10 strikeouts and closed out a 6-1 Legends win.
The Power concludes their rain-shortened three-game series with the Lexington Legends Thursday evening at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. RHP Josias De Los Santos (4-7, 4.42 ERA) heads to the hill for West Virginia, while Lexington counters with RHP Zach Haake (3-6, 3.06 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on The Jock 1300 and 1340 AM, online at www.wvpower.com and via the TuneIn Radio App and MiLB First Pitch App. 
The Power returns to Appalachian Power Park for their final homestand of 2019 August 30, as they welcome in the Greensboro Grasshoppers for a four-game set that runs through September 2. The highlight of the homestand comes Friday with Deaf Awareness Night, presented by the West Virginia Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, where the Power will sport special ASL-themed jerseys. These jerseys will be auctioned off on the LiveSource app during the game, and there will be interpreters throughout the ballpark! The Power will also host their final postgame fireworks show of the season, presented by Encova Insurance. For tickets and more information, call the Power at 304-344-2287 or visit www.wvpower.com.