Will call on the Hoppers-Suns Sunday game

from Will Cornelius Greensboro Grasshoppers:

GREENSBORO, NC— The Grasshoppers defeated Hagerstown in their series finale Sunday afternoon behind another strong outing from right-hander Johnny Dorn and six Hopper homeruns.

The Hoppers’ bats, which were silent during the first three games of the series, exploded for season highs in runs, hits, and homeruns.

The Hoppers began the scoring, tagging Hagerstown starter Jack McGeary (0-3) for five runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Paul Gran singled-in Kevin Mattison after a leadoff walk for the first run of the game.

McGeary walked Brandon Turner before recent call-up Jake Smolinski connected on his first homerun as a Hopper, a three-run blast to left field.

Two batters later, left fielder Jeremy Synan hit a home run of his own to extend the lead to four. Back-to-back base hits by Torre Langley and Justin Bass capped off the five run first that saw all nine Grasshopper hitters step to the plate.

Kevin Mattison, Jake Smolinski, Daniel Pertusati, Torre Langley, and Justin Bass all aided with multi-hit performances, but Jeremy Synan paced the Hoppers’ offense, going 3-5 with two homeruns and five RBI.

The multi-homerun game is the first of both Synan’s career and the Grasshoppers’ season. His five RBI, all with two outs, sets the season standard for RBI in a single game.

Synan has now belted three homeruns in two nights, tying the team lead with five long balls.

Justin Bass continued his success at the plate as well, going 3-4 with a homerun of his own. In his last five games, Bass boasts an impressive .625 average with five RBI and two homeruns.

Starter Johnny Dorn (5-1) worked six innings for the fourth straight outing, scattering four hits and allowing just three runs.

Dorn struck out six Sun’s hitters before turning to the bullpen. Relievers Bryan Evans and Brandon Todd combined to give up just one run over three innings, giving Dorn his fourth consecutive win.

The Hoppers (19-17) avoided a home series sweep and four game losing streak by out-slugging the red-hot Suns 13-4. The Hoppers improve to 13-1 when out-hitting opponents, and 3-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.

The Grasshoppers are back in action tomorrow evening, welcoming the Lake County Captains for the start of another four game set at NewBridge Bank Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Will Cornelius
Media Relations, Intern
Greensboro Grasshoppers Baseball