Five-run eighth sinks Power in series finale

GREENSBORO, N.C. (July 14, 2019) - Onil Pena and Ryan Ramiz each drilled three-run homers, but West Virginia blew a late two-run lead in a 12-9 loss to the Greensboro Grasshoppers Sunday afternoon at First National Bank Field.
Greensboro (13-10, 57-35) broke open the scoring in the bottom of the first with two runs on two hits off Josias De Los Santos to take a 2-0 lead. It took until the top of the third inning for the Power (11-13, 48-46) to answer, as Jake Anchia reached safely on an error and Manny Pazos cracked a single before Mike Salvatore followed with a fielder's choice to put runners at the corners with just one out. Ramiz then stepped to the plate and launched a three-run homer to right-center field that put West Virginia ahead 3-2.

The back-and-forth affair continued in the bottom of the frame, as the Grasshoppers tacked on two more runs before adding another in the fourth inning on a Zac Susi RBI single, snagging a 5-3 lead. Down by two in the fifth, Ramiz climbed aboard thanks to a throwing error from Ji-Hwan Bae that put him at second base with one out for Charlie McConnell. McConnell singled into left and cut the Greensboro lead to one. 
Bobby Honeyman, who extended his season high hitting streak to ten games earlier, worked a two-out walk and extended the inning for Pena. The Power slugger unloaded on a 1-2 fastball and drove it over the left-field wall to hand West Virginia a 7-5 advantage. The roundtripper was Pena's second of the series and his sixth of the season against the Grasshoppers.
De Los Santos continued his outing in the bottom of the fifth and conceded two runs on a Jonah Davis sacrifice fly and a Luke Mangieri RBI single that knotted the game at seven. A David Sheaffer RBI knock in the sixth pushed the Power back in front, 8-7, while Reeves Martin entered out of the bullpen in the bottom half and twirled two scoreless frames with three strikeouts to preserve the one-run lead. 
Sheaffer notched another run-scoring single against John O'Reilly (1-2) in the eighth inning that extended West Virginia's lead to 9-7. Matthew Willrodt (0-2) was summoned from the bullpen in the home half of the eighth and immediately labored, walking the first two batters he faced. He struggled to recover, surrendering five runs on three hits and three walks to give Greensboro a commanding 12-9 lead.
In the ninth, Honeyman stroked a leadoff single in an attempt to spark a rally, but Cody Smith (S,2) shut the door on the comeback effort, as he retired the next three hitters and wrapped up a 12-9 Greensboro win.
The Power now returns home to begin a three-game series against the Columbia Fireflies Monday night at Appalachian Power Park, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. RHP Clay Chandler (7-5, 4.15 ERA) heads to the hill for West Virginia, while Columbia counters with RHP Christian James (3-7, 4.20 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on The Jock 1300 and 1340 AM, as well as online at wvpower.com and via the TuneIn Radio App and MiLB First Pitch App.
A seven-game homestand kicks off Monday, July 15, starting with a three-game set against the Columbia Fireflies. The homestand begins with a Family Buck Night, where all fans can purchase $3.00 box seats and $1.00 general admission tickets, as well as hot dogs, popcorn and 12-ounce Pepsi products all for just a buck. It's also Valentine's Day at Appalachian Power Park! Additionally, the Power will be hosting an auction for Joe Torre Domestic Violence Awareness Night, with all proceeds benefitting Legal Aid of West Virginia. The highlight of the homestand comes on Friday, July 19, with Faith and Family Night, presented by Mako Medical Laboratories and NewLife 94.5! Come experience a night of music, faith and baseball at the ballpark! Enjoy pregame concerts by Kyle Huffman, the winner of the NewLife 94.5 Power Factor competition, and Todd Agnew, as well as postgame fireworks, courtesy of TC Energy and Suddenlink! For tickets and more information, call the Power at 304-344-2287 or visit www.wvpower.com.