*****Final Josh Tobias’ stats with the Lakewood BlueClaws in town for the 4 games vs. the Greensboro Grasshoppers courtesy of Jeff Mills with the News and Record(Final stats for JT’s 4-game homecoming): 5-for-15 (.333), 2 doubles, HR, 8 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 BB, HBP, 4 Ks.*****
BlueClaws battle back to beat Hoppers 11-7
from Bill Hass with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com
Some losses leave everyone shaking their heads, and that was the case for the Hoppers Sunday.
The game against Lakewood was there for the taking, but Greensboro couldn’t capitalize on some golden opportunities and fell to the BlueClaws 11-7 in 11 innings at NewBridge Bank Park.
Two numbers stood out on the Hoppers’ stat sheet: 13 runners left on base and 14 strikeouts.
“We had traffic on the bases but we couldn’t get the big knock,” said manager Kevin Randel. “Those punchouts (strikeouts) in big spots were a killer.”
Specifically, the Hoppers loaded the bases with one out in the fifth inning only to see Alex Fernandez and Rony Cabrera strike out. They left two more in the sixth, when Stone Garrett fanned to end the threat. And three more were stranded in the eighth when Taylor Munden and Garrett again struck out.
Altogether, Garrett whiffed five times in six at-bats and Munden and Fernandez went down three times each.
“He was under a lot of pressure hitting fourth,” Randel said of Garrett. “He’ll overcome this game. I have no doubt in my mind about that.”
There was plenty for Randel to feel good about as the Hoppers continued their offensive outburst with 15 more hits. In the last three games of the series, they scored 23 runs on 41 hits.
Josh Naylor continued his surge by going 3-for-3 with a 3-run homer and a pair of singles. He also drew two walks (one intentional) and was hit by a pitch in the thigh his last trip up. He was able to walk it off enough to remain in the game.
Naylor has reached base safely his last 11 trips with seven hits, three walks and the HBP. In the last three games he’s on a 9-for-11 tear, including two homers and three doubles, that has lifted his average to .290. Sunday’s homer, his second in two games, was a three-run belt to left field, his opposite field.
“He’s a pure hitter,” Randel said. “He doesn’t look to pull the ball; he just wants to hit it hard and drive it anywhere.”
Two other hitters stayed hot. Anfernee Seymour had two hits, stole a base, scored a run and knocked in another. In his last three games Seymour is 7-for-14 with four runs scored. Isael Soto added two more hits Sunday and in his last three games is 5-for-12 with five runs scored.
The Hoppers scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning to grab a 6-2 lead, but the offense stagnated there and was unable to score again until Rony Cabrera singled home Soto to tie the score 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth.
Greensboro starter Gabriel Castellanos never looked comfortable and couldn’t hold the early lead. After the BlueClaws scored once in the third and added four runs in the fourth to gain a 7-6 advantage that held up until the ninth.
Relievers Andy Beltre, Steven Farnworth, Ben Meyer and C.J. Robinson combined to pitch six straight shutout innings. In the 11th, L.J. Brewster gave up a single and another runner reached on Munden’s error. Brewster struck out the next two batters, then gave up an RBI single and a three-run homer to Samuel Hiciano. All four runs were unearned.
After 18 straight days of baseball to start the season, the Hoppers get a day off Monday. Now 7-11, they go on the road for three games at Hickory and four at Augusta. After another day off, they return home Wednesday, May 4, against Columbia (formerly Savannah).
Players are young and resilient and will likely be able to turn the page on a loss like this. Randel said he would brood about it for a short time.
“I’ll think about it on my hour-and-a-half drive home (to Apex),” he said. “Then I’ll take Monday off, cut some grass, see my wife and the dogs and I’ll be fine.”
Pitchers are ready for a break as much as the position players.
“That’s what we’re here for, to learn what this (a 140-game season) is all about,” said pitching coach Brendan Sagara.
NOTES: Greensboro native Josh Tobias was Lakewood’s DH Sunday. He didn’t have a hit but got a sacrifice, a sacrifice fly, two walks and reached on a fielder’s choice. Officially he was 0-for-2, but added his 18th RBI and 12th of the season against the Hoppers … Starter Justin Jacome was put on the 7-day disabled list with a minor injury and will miss his next start.