By Seth Lakso, Charlotte Observer Correspondent
Knowing there was a
runner on first and one out in the inning of a one-run game in the ninth,
Knights second baseman Carlos Sanchez took off.
As the ball drifted
towards the Knights’ bullpen, so too did Sanchez, who made the catch right on
top of one of Charlotte’s exposed pitching mounds. Without a second of
hesitation, Sanchez popped to his feet and fired to second to catch the runner
trying to tag-up and end the game.
The double play was
the highlight of the night for Charlotte, who handed the Durham Bulls their
second straight loss in front of a record crowd of 10, 449 at BB&T Ballpark
on Thursday.
“I saw him make a catch on the mound, a nice
kind of over-the-shoulder type of play, and then throw a strike to second,”
said Knights manager Joel Skinner.
“You know, he was throwing from the mound, so
he must have gotten out front and made a nice pitch,” joked Skinner. “No, it
was a nice play; it really was.”
For the second night in a row the Knights had
to piece together a game from a pitching standpoint, with the night’s scheduled
starter, Scott Carroll, put on hold in case he’s needed with the Chicago White
Sox later this week.
And for the second night in a row, the pen was
up to the task, holding Durham – who entered the night first in the
International League in runs scored (105) and hits
(198) – to just three runs on four hits.
Ryan Kussmaul
started for the first time in his professional career and tossed 40 pitches
over three innings. His only blemish was a solo home run he allowed to Wilson
Betemit in the second inning.
Frank De Los Santos
(W, 1-0, 0.00) followed up Kussmaul with three scoreless innings of his own,
striking out four. Donnie Veal then tossed a scoreless inning before losing his
command in the eighth and being charged with two runs following three straight
walks to start the inning.
David Purcey then
came on to toss the game’s final two innings and record his second save of the
season.
“They’ve done a great job,” said Skinner of
his relievers, who have held Durham to just four runs on 12 hits in 18 innings
over the last 48 hours. “Tonight, obviously, we ran into a strike-throwing
problem there, but Purcey was able to persevere and he got through that and the
play Sanchez made was a nice way to finish the game.”
The Knights took a 1-0 lead in the first
inning on an RBI double by Andy Wilkins and added three more runs in the sixth
on an error, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Wilkins (1 for 3).
Through 10 home
games the Knights have drawn 95,751 fans to Uptown’s BB&T
Ballpark – the most by any Minor League team this season. The next
highest attendance belongs to the Louisville Bats (74,119 in 11 games).
It took the Knights
27 games last season – or until May 28th – to hit the
90,000 mark in Fort Mill, S.C.
Charlotte improved
to 3-6 against the Bulls this season. The two teams will conclude their
four-game series on Friday when former Atlanta Braves ace Tommy Hanson (0-1,
9.00) takes on Durham southpaw Enny Romero (2-2, 4.43).
Notes: Knights manager Joel Skinner said that Scott Carroll didn't pitch because: "He’s on hold. He got bumped. At this level, sometimes you need to have guys available for the Major Leagues, so that’s how that worked tonight. Nothing has been done or anything, but again, they held him back and that’s all I can say about it." ... LHP Charlie Leesman is expected to rejoin the Knights sometime tomorrow and could be available to pitch should the game go into extras. ... Friday will be Tommy Hanson's (0-1, 9.00 ERA) BB&T Ballpark debut. He lasted just four innings in his first start with the Knights. Skinner said that he will be on a pitch count. ... Catcher Josh Phegley sat for the third straight game, but was available to pinch-hit. "He’s been available the whole time," said Skinner. "It’s not a DL situation. He’ll play (Friday). He could have played today, but holding him back one more day was my decision."
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