Welcome to NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, NC for the first of a four-game series with the Greensboro Grasshoppers. The teams split a four-game series at FirstEnergy Park last week.

LAK: RHP Heitor Correa (1-1, 2.40)
GBO: LHP Brad Hand (2-5, 7.68)

On Correa…He has allowed just four runs over his last 25.1 innings and beat GBO on Monday with seven shutout innings at FirstEnergy Park.

Critical Stretch…After the four games here, it’s off to Delmarva for four. That’s eight games against the 2nd and 3rd place teams. Lakewood leads DEL by 1.5 and GBO by 3.5 in the North. Beginning Monday of next week, Lakewood plays 15 in 14 to close out the half, 13 are against Hagerstown and Lake County and 10 of the 15 are at home.

Home Hitting…Greensboro has already hit 27 home runs at home this year, the same amount Lakewood hit at home all of last year. It’s just 305 down the lines, 365 in the gaps and 400 to center with an eight-foot wall all the way around. Plus the ball flies out of here. This is considered one of the best hitters parks in the league.

Game notes…Audio…Rest below the fold.

6:30: 80s, mostly clear skies, a beautiful night for baseball.

7:11: Yikes…Travis d’Arnaud pulverizes one over the left center field wall…1-0 Lakewood…d’Arnaud’s 5th of the year.

7:21: And just like that, tied up again…Paul Gran goes deep to center…1-1 to the 2nd.

7:41: Still 1-1 to the bottom of the 3rd…Troy Hanzawa led off with a walk but Harold Garcia lined out into a 5-3 DP. Delmarva down 1-0 at Kannapolis in the 2nd inning.

7:50: Correa late covering first on a chopper to Murphy and, of course, that runner comes in to score, 2-1 GBO.

8:06: 2 runs on 1 hit…Lakewood scores on a bases loaded walk to Collier and a wild pitch…3-2…Hand in the inning…2 walks, a hit batsman, and two wild pitches…to the home 4th.

8:24: Correa rolling right along…gets help from Valle/Hanzawa on a CS in the 5th…throw a bit low but Hanzawa made a great pick and tag for the out…3-4-5 for the ‘Claws in the 6th.

8:36: Lakewood gets two walks with one out in the 5th…Hand comes out and Evans (who gave up 6 at LAK on Monday) gets Mattair to ground into an inning-ending DP…3-2 Lakewood to the home 6th.

8:50: Correa induces a huge DP with 1st and 3rd one out and the 5-hitter Justin Bass at the plate. Both reached on walks and Santo Hernandez could be coming in for the 7th…still 3-2 Lakewood.

8:59: Bottom 7, Santo in.

9:06: 1-2-3 for Hernandez…still 3-2 Lakewood…Lakewood is 20-1 when they lead after seven.

9:22: Santo Hernandez…another great job…that’s two shutout for him and one earned run allowed in his last 21.1 innings pitched…’Claws up 2-1 to the 9th.

9:32: Here we go…Ryan Bergh onto pitch the bottom of the 9th…Lakewood leading 3-2.

9:43: Dunzo…Bergh a scoreless ninth and Lakewood wins 3-2…Delmarva has also lost so Lakewood now up 2.5 in the SAL North over the Shorebirds, have won 11 of 17 in this current stretch of consecutive games without a day off, have won 14 of 21 overall, and are now 10 games over .500 for the first time this year!

9:45: Here is the box score.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, May 30th, 2009 at 5:32 pm and is filed under 2009 BlueClaws, Live Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.