Volcanoes Tally Ten Hits in Loss

KEIZER, Ore. -- The Volcanoes dropped their season opener to the Tri-City Dust Devils after giving up six runs in the 8th, relinquishing a 3-1 lead. Throughout the drizzly afternoon, the weather looked like it could become an issue, but as game time approached, the clouds parted, giving way to perfect game time conditions.
 
The game remained scoreless through the first frame, but the Volcanoes would not remain dormant for long. Left fielder Robinson Medrano drilled a double in the right center gap to lead off the second inning. Medrano would later come around to score when right fielder Juan Rodriguez shot a single up the middle with two outs.
 
The Volcanoes would get on the board again in the 6th when they rallied to score two runs. Catcher Dylan Manwaring got the inning going after being plunked by opposing starter Emmanuel Ramirez. Manwaring would later score from first on a Ryan Kirby opposite field double which was cut off by Dust Devils center fielder Tre Martin just before it reached the wall in left center. Ramirez threw a wild pitch to the next batter which allowed Kirby to come around and score with some heads up baserunning when the catcher failed to locate the ball.
 
Right hander Volcanoes pitcher Stetson Woods set the tone early with a three pitch strikeout and didn't slow down from there. In total, Woods threw 6.0 innings and allowed three hits while striking out five and walking one.
 
Perhaps most impressive about Woods' outing was his ability to work around three Volcanoes errors and stay composed with runners in scoring position. In both the first and third inning, Woods induced infield pop-ups from highly touted shortstop prospect Luis Almanzar with a runner on third and two outs to get out of the inning. All in all, Woods was perfect when faced with pressure, preventing the Dust Devils from getting a hit in nine chances with runners in scoring position on the night.
 
Woods featured a sharp slider which he often used early in the count, as well as a high octane fastball that he threw with both a four and two seam grip. Woods best pitch on the night was his two-seam fastball which exploded away from left handed batters. Woods held lefties hitless on the night with three punchouts in six at-bats.
 
Unfortunately, Woods' stellar outing would not be enough for the Volcanoes as the wheels came off for the Volcanoes bullpen in the 8th. The Volcanoes bullpen gave up six runs on six hits in a disastrous eighth which propelled the Dust Devils to the opening night victory.
 
The Volcanoes responded with one run in the bottom half of the inning, but their attempt to battle back fell short when the Dust Devils padded their lead with two runs in the top of the 9th.
 
The Dust Devils racked up fifteen hits on the night, including ten in the final two innings en route to their first victory of the season. Left fielder Luis Asuncion led the offensive charge for the Dust Devils, going 3-for-5 with one RBI, as well as a mammoth home run to left field in the 8th.
 
The top performers for the Volcanoes were right fielder Juan Rodriguez and shortstop Manuel Geraldo. Rodriguez racked up two hits and drove in the first run of the game, while Geraldo went 2-for-3 with an RBI and stole both second and third base in the fourth inning.
 
The Volcanoes look to even up their record on Friday night against the Tri-City Dust Devils when righty Jose Marte will toe the rubber against top international pitching prospect southpaw Adrian Morejon at 6:35 p.m. here at Volcanoes Stadium.