Thursday, April 17, 2008
For Immediate
Release |
Contact: Jim Tocco
(334)
323-0363 |
Biscuits hammer Smokies, 10-5
Montgomery mashes five home runs in win
|
Kodak, Tenn. – The Montgomery Biscuits smacked an all-time record five home runs at Smokies Park Thursday, defeating the Tennessee Smokies, 10-5.
Montogmery scored nine of its 10 runs on homers, and Erold Andrus began the slugfest early, hitting Tennessee starter Mitch Atkins' fifth pitch of the ballgame over the right centerfield fence. Since the outifelder has been leading off for Montgomery, he is 4-for-6 leading off games, with two homers and a double.
Chris Nowak followed Andrus three hitters later with his second blast of the year. Gaby Martinez pitched in with a two-run homer in the fourth (his first of the season), and Sergio Pedroza knocked Atkins from the game in the fifth with a bizarre three-run homer that bounced straight up off of the left field fence before inching over. When Pat Cottrell hit his two-run blast off of reliever Rafael Cova in the eighth inning, it became the most homers in the 579-game history of the Biscuits, including playoff games.
While the Biscuits found power, starter Richard De Los Santos sapped all of the power from the Smokies' bats. He threw seven innings -- the Biscuits' longest start of the year and De Los Santos' longest of his professional career -- allowing just one run. That run scored in the fifth inning, when Ryan Harvey grounded into a would-be inning-ending double play, with De Los Santos startig the play. But Johnny Raburn's relay throw sailed wide of first base, plating the run.
De Los Santos did start two 1-6-3 double plays, though, and the spry pitcher set a Biscuits all-time individual fielding record by handling seven chances. He got 15 outs on the ground, with four in the air, one via strikeout and one by strikeout. He walked none.
A second botched double play hurt the Biscuits in the eighth inning. With two on and none out, reliever Jeremy Flanaganinduced a custom-made groundball from center fielder Tyler Colvin. Raburn tossed it into center field, scoring two and keeping the inning alive long enough for right fielder Ryan Harvey to club a mammoth two-run homer.
The Biscuits' last run scored in the ninth, when Andrus singled home Rashad Eldridge.
The win seals the series victory for the Biscuits, and Montgomery can even up their longest homestand of the year at 5-5 with a win on Friday. The game is at 6:15 Central time, and left Mike Wlodarczyk will pitch for Montgomery.
Content
