Welcome back to McCormick Field in Asheville, NC. Lakewood won the series opener last night 6-2. Game notes here…Audio here (at 6:50).

LWD: RHP Freddy Ballestas (0-1, 3.93)
ASH: RHP Jonnathan Aristil (1-5, 4.82)

They’re Hitting Now…Lakewood has scored 99 runs in their last 16 games (6.2 per) and had averaged 4.2 per game in the 78 games before.

Pre-game…A ceremony honoring Joe Mikaluk, Asheville manager, who is being inducted into the SAL Hall of Fame. Mikaluk has been with Asheville for nine years.

6:32: Beautiful weather here, if not for the Dylan concert in Lakewood…Rest below the fold.

7:01: Nice ceremony for Mikaluk, who has won 686 games w/ Asheville and has been SAL Manager of the Year on three difference occasions.

7:10: We’ll be delayed a bit because of the ceremony. Probably closer to 7:20 tonight.

7:33: d’Arnaud guns down Cesario trying to steal 2nd…0-0 to the 2nd.

7:47: Hanzawa…3-run home run…2nd of the season…3-0 Lakewood.

8:05: And Troy just missed a 2-run double in the 3rd…would have been his first 5-RBI game…3-0 to the home 3rd.

8:20: 8 in a row set down by Ballestas…3-0 to the 5th.

8:32: Now 4-0 after d’Arnaud (who doubled and has hit in 13-straight) scores on an E5 (TJ Warren grounder).

8:58: Gose is 3-4 after an RBI single…5-1 Lakewood…But he did get gunned out stealing 2nd…Gose, who had a bag earlier, has 54 on the year, one behind Q  Berry for 3rd on the single-season list.

9:10: Freddy out and Bergh in…2 out in the 6th, with two in and a 5-3 Lakewood lead…Good outing for Ballestas but just one out short.

9:21: Bergh got the last out in the 6th, now out for the 7th…5-3, nine outs to go…Bergh to BJ tonight? Have to think so.

9:42: Bergh gives up a home run but Rob Roth comes in with the bases loaded and fans Massey to end the inning. Now BJ getting loose for a possible six-out save…5-4 Lakewood to the 8th.

9:48: BJ coming in for a six-out save…5-4 Lakewood to the home 8th.

9:55: Easy 1-2-3 in the 8th for BJ…to the 9th.

10:20: Clock work…1-2-3 in the 9th…now 21.1 scoreless in a row for Lakewood’s closer…’Claws win it 6-4.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 at 5:32 pm and is filed under 2009 BlueClaws, Live Blogs, South Atlantic League. 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.