GnatsShutout Legends 2-0 to Sweep the Series

The Final game of the four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Lexington Legends started Tuesday morning(11:00am) at Grayson stadium and finished in the afternoon drizzle. Savannah pitchers shutout Lexington and only allowed 4 hits to win the game 2-0 and sweep the four game series. Gnats have won 6 straight games.

Savannah scored both of their runs in the 6th inning. ssLuis Nieves walked and stole second. lfAlonso Harris on a 3-2 count hit a drive over the center fielders head for a triple to score Nieves. A single by rfRaferal Fernandez scored Harris.

Savannah had 6 hits for the game. 1b Jet Butler was 1-for-3. cJuan Torres was 1-for-3. Harris was 1-for-3 with a triple, 1 run scored and 1 RBI. Fernandez was 2-for-4 with 1 RBI.

Starting Sand Gnat starter Angel Cuan was stellar winning the game and improving his record to (9-1). He pitched 6 shutout innings, allowed only 1 hit, no walks, and struck out 9. Reliever Adam Kolarek was impressive earning his 4th save pitching 3 shutout innings, no BB, 3 hits, and struck out 2.

Gnats Rally in the 6th to Defeat Lexington 5-4

The third game of the four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Lexington Legends was played in front of 2,502 fans Monday evening at Grayson Stadium. Down 4-2 going into the 6th inning, Savannah scored 3 runs to win the game 5-4. dhAlbert Cordero continued his torrid hitting driving in 3 runs for the game for Savannah.

Lexington scored 2 runs in the 1st inning with the help of 2 doubles and a single. They added a run in the 3rd inning. Legends final run was scored in the 5th inning when dh Ben Heath hit a home run to left field.

Savannah scored two runs in the 4th inning. Lf Rafael Fernandez singled and went to third on a double by cBlake Forsythe. A sac fly by Cordero scored Fernandez. Forsythe scored on a ground out. In the 6th inning, Savannah rallied to score 3 runs. ssWilfredo Tovar singled and Fernandez doubled and both scored on a single by Cordero to tie the game at 4-4. 1bJoe Bonfe hit a grounder to third who threw to first and the first baseman missed the catch for an error allowing Cordero to score.

Gnats had 8 hits for the game and Lexington had 11 hits. Fernandez was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 runs scored. Cordero was 1-for-3 with a run scored and 3 RBI's.

Starting Savannah Sand Gnat pitcher, Gonzales Germen pitched 5 innings, allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, 1BB and struck out 9. Chase Huchingson (6-2) won the game, pitched 2 shutout innings, allowed 2 hits and struck pout 1. Ronny Morla earned his 8th save, pitched 2 shutout innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.

Savannah 4 Lexington 2

The second game of the four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Lexington legends was played in front of 754 fans Sunday afternoon at Grayson Stadium. Strong Gnat pitching limited Lexington to 3 hits along with their hot bats helped Savannah win 4-2.

Savannah got on the scoreboard quickly as lead off hitter in the first, cfDarrell Ceciliani doubled, advanced to third on a ground out, and scored on a ground out. In the 3rd, Savannah scored two runs:lfAlonso Harris doubled and stole second. A bunt single by Ceciliani moved Harris to third and he scored on a groundout. A single by lfRaferal Fernandez scores Ceciliani. In the 4th, Gnats score 1bJoe Bonfe reaches first on a force out and scores when Harris hits a triple.

Gnats out hit the Legends 11-3. dhAlbert Cordero continued his hot hitting going 3-for-4(last night he was 4-5). Ceciliani was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 runs scored. Harris was 2-for-4 with a triple, a RBI and a run scored.

Making his first start since returning to the club on 7-20-11 from the disabled list, Michale Hebert had great control pitching 6 innings of shutout baseball, allowed only 2 hits and struck out 9. Herbert won his first game(1-0). Guillaume Leduc pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowed 2 runs(1 earned run), 1 hit and 2BB. Hamilton Bennett pitched 1 1/3 inning, struck out 2 to earn his 9th save of the year and lowered his ERA to 2.06.

Cordero's Bat Helps Gnats Beat Lexington 7-6

The first game of the four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Lexington Legends(Houston Astros) was played in front of 2,896 fans Saturday evening at Grayson Stadium. cAlbert Cordero had an outstanding game with 4 hits driving in 6 runs to help Savannah win over Lexington 7-6. In my seven years of watching Sand Gnat baseball, Cordero's performance was one of the best hitting performances I have seen.

Lexington scored one run in the 1st inning. They scored 3 runs in the 3rd-a 2 run home run by 1bJohnny Medrano followed by a solo home run rfBryce Lane gave the Legends a 4-1 lead. Lexington scored a run in the 3rd and a run in the 6th.

Savannah scored a run in the first when Cordero's single drove in a run. In the 6th inning, dhBlake Forsythe tripled and scored on a home run by Cordero over the left center field fence. cfDarrell Ceciliani and rfRafael Fernandez both singled in the 7th and both scored on a single by Cordero. Down 1 run going into the bottom of the 9th, a single by Cordero with the bases loaded scored a run to tie the game at 6-6. 1bJoe Bonfe ground ball single to right field scored the winning run and Bonfe drove in the winning run the night before in the 9th to win the game.

Plenty of hits during the game. Savannah had 13 hits and Lexington had 11 hits. Cordero was 4-for-5 with 6 RBI's, a home run and a run scored. Ceciliani was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Fernandez was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Forsythe was 2-for-3 with a triple and 2 runs scored.

Starting Savannah pitcher, Ryan Fraser pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowed 6 runs on 10 hits, 4BB, and struck out 3. Luis Rojas went 2 1/3 innings, allowed 1 hit and walked 2. Ronny Morla pitched the 9th inning, did not allow a hit or run, was the winning pitcher and has record of (2-2)

Picture of Albert Cordero hitting his home run in the 6th inning. It was his 3rd home run of the season.

Harris Leads Gnats Past Power 3-1

The final game of the three game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the West Virginia Power was played in front of 2,810 fans Friday evening at Grayson Stadium. lfAlonso Harris drove in all three runs for Savannah to help the Gnats defeat the Power 3-1 and win 2 out of 3 games in the series.

West Virgina scored their only run in the first. Lead off batter, Andrew Maggi, singled, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher, and scored on a ground out.

Savannah scored two runs in the 5th to take a 2-1 lead. 3bAderline Rodriquez walked. 1bJoe Bonfe singled and both runners advanced a base on a ground out. Harris singled to drive in both runs.

In the 8th inning, Harris electrified the fans by leading off the inning with a line drive to left and circled the bases on an inside-the-park home run.

Savannah out hit West Virginia 7-5. Bonfe was 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored. Harris was 2-for-3 with a run scored and 3 RBI's.

Starting Sand Gnat pitcher, Yohan Almonte pitched 7 innings, allowed 1 unearned run, 5 hits, 1BB and struck out 4. Gabriel Zavala pitched 2 shutout innings, did not allow a hit, walked 2, and struck out 1. Zavala earned his first save of the year.

Gnats Edge Power 3-2 in the 9th Inning

Game 2 of the 3 game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the West Virginia Power was played in front of 2,301 fans Thursday evening at Grayson Stadium.

Power starter, Jameson Taillon, pitched 5 innings, allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, struck out 6. The 6-6 right-hander Taillon, was the no 2 over all pick of the Pirates in the 2010 draft.

Savannah scored 2 runs in the 4th inning. cBlake Forsythe doubled and scored on a home run by 3bAderline Rodriquez which sailed over the 400 ft. fence in center field.

West Virginia scored 2 runs in the 5th to tie the game. Back to back doubles, a single and a throwing error by the short stop helped the Power score both runs.

The game was tied in the 9th. Forsythe singled and moved to second on a sac bunt. A pass ball allowed Forsythe to advance to third. 1bJoe Bonfe hit a ground ball to third and the third baseman throwing error to first allowed Fotsythe to score the winning run.

For the game, the Gnats out hit the Power 7-5. Forsythe was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

Starting Savannah Sand Gnat pitcher Angel Cuan pitched 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and striking out 3. Reliever Adam Kolarek (Won, 4-0) was brilliant not allowing a hit or run in 3 innings, 1BB and struck out 3.

Power beats Gnats 4-3 in 12 innings

The first game of the 3 game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the West Virginia Power( Pittsburg Pirates) was played in front of 2,059 fans Wednesday evening at Grayson Stadium. Both starting pitchers were superb. Savannah managed only one hit in 6 innings off Power starter, Zack Von Rosenberg. West Virginia got 1 hit in 5 innings off of Gnat starter, Gonzales Germen.

Power scored the winning run in the 12th inning.

Savannah scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to tie the game. cAlbert Cordero singled followed by a double by 3bAderline Rodriquez. 1b Joe Bonfe drew a walk. Cordero scores from third on a pass ball. A single by 2b Luis Nieves scores Rodriquez. A ground out into a fielders choice by cf Darrell Ceciliani scores Bonfe.

Savannah out hit West Virginia 6-5. lfAlonso Harris was 2-for-4.

Gnat reliever, Michael Hebert, who was just reinstated from the disabled list on July 20th, pitched 2 innings, allowed 3 runs on 2 hits and walked 4. Luis Rojas struck out 2 in 1 inning of work. Hamilton Bennett pitched 3 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit, 1BB, and struck out 3. Losing pitcher Ronny Morla(1-2) pitched the final inning allowing 1 run on 1 hit.

Grasshoppers Rally In the 9th to Win

The final game of the four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Greensboro Grasshoppers was played in front of 897 fans Sunday afternoon at Grayson Stadium. With the score tied 1-1 going into the 9th inning, the Grasshoppers scored twice to beat the Gnats 3-1.

Greensboro scored in the first inning. 2bNoah Perio reached first and advanced to second on a throwing error by the shortstop. A bunt single by rfMarcell Ozuna moved Perio to third and Perio scored on a ground out to second but the relay to first for the double play was not in time.

Savannah scored their only run in the 6th inning on a home run by 3bAderline Rodriquez to tie the score at 1-1. It was his 10th home run of the year which leads the team.

In the 9th, Greensboro received back to back walks followed by back to back singles to score 2 runs.

The Gnats had 6 hits for the game. Rodriquez was 2-for-4. 2bLuis Nieves went 2-for-4.

Starting Savannah pitcher, Ryan Fraser, pitched 7 innings, allowed 1 run on 4hits, 2BB, and struck out 5. Ronny Morla(1-1) took the loss, pitching 2 innings, allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, 2BB, and struck out 2.

Photo courtesy of Ed DeVita, Editor of The Savannah Sports Monthly.

Grasshoppers Shut Out Gnats 5-0

The third game of the four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Greensboro Grasshoppers was played in front of 1,878 fans Saturday evening at Grayson Stadium. Greensboro had 10 hits for the game with five of them doubles and their pitchers allowed the Sand Gnats 3 hits. Gnats left 11 men on base.

In the second inning, Grasshoppers scored their first run. Three doubles in the 4th inning helped Greensboro to score 2 runs and they added 2 more runs in the 6th inning.

dh Darrell Ceciliani walked twice and was 1-for-2 for Savannah.

Starting Sand Gnat pitcher,Yohan Almonte(3-5) lost pitching 5 innings, allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, 3BB, and struck out 6. Guilaume Leduc pitched 2 innings allowed 2 runs(both unearned) on 2 hits and struck out 1. Hamilton Bennett did not allow a hit or run pitching 1 inning and struck out 1. Luis Rojas pitched 1 inning, gave up 1 hit and 1BB.

Gnats Out Hit Grasshoppers to Win 11-4

The second game of the four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Greensboro Grasshoppers was played in front of 1,797 fans Friday evening at Grayson Stadium. Savannah banged out a season-high 18 hits to Greensboro's 11 hits to win the game 11-4.

Greensboro scored all of their runs in the 3rd inning with one run on a home run by cfIsaac Galloway.

Savannah scored 3 runs in the 2nd inning on 4 straight singles with rfJoe Bonfe driving in two runs. They scored 2 runs in the 3rd on 4 hits and 3b Aderline Rodriquez driving in two runs with a single. In the 4th inning, Savannah scored 5 runs on 5 hits with Rodriquez driving in two more runs with a single. Gnats added their final run in the 6th inning.

Gnats with multiple hits in the game. Cordero went 5-for-5 with 2 doubles, a triple, 2 RBI's and 4 runs scored. Rodriquez was 3-for-4 with 4 RBI's and a run scored. rfJoe Bonfe was 4-for-5 with 4 RBI's. lfAlonso Harris went 2-for -5 with a double and a run scored.

Winning pitcher for Savannah, Angel Cuan, (7-1) pitched 6 innings, allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, 1BB, struck out 6. Adam Kolarek earned his 2 save of the season pitched 3 shutout innings, gave up 3 hits and struck out 5.

Photo courtesy of Ed DeVita, Editor of The Savannah Sports Monthly.

Gnats Rally in the 9th Falls Short

The first game of a four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Greensboro Grasshoppers was played in front of 1,940 fans Thursday evening at Grayson Stadium. Down 5-0 going into the bottom of the 9th inning, Savannah scored 4 runs, but came up 1 run short to tie and lost to Greensboro 5-4.

rfRaferal Fernandez led off the bottom of the 9th with a double and scored on a home run to left-center field by cBlake Forsythe. dhAlbert Cordero was hit by a pitch followed by a walk to 3bAderline Rodriquez. A single by lfAlonso Harris scored Cordero, moving Rodriquez to third. A ground out scored Rodriquez.

Savannah had 7 hits for the game. Harris was 2-for-3 with a RBI. cfDarrell Ceciliani was 2-for-5.

Losing pitcher for the Sand Gnats was Gonzales Germen(6-4) who pitched 5 innings, allowed 1 run on 3 hits, struck out 1. Chase Huchingson pitched 3 innings, allowed 3 runs on 2 hits, 1BB and struck out 3. Gabriel Zavala allowed 1 run on 1 hit, 1BB, striking out 2 pitching the 9th inning.

Photo courtesy of Ed DeVita, Editor of The Savannah Sports Monthly.

Rome Beats Gnats 5-3 to Avoid Sweep

The final game of the three game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Rome Braves was played in front of 1,362 fans Wednesday evening at Grayson Stadium. The Braves out hit the Gnats 5-4 to win the game 5-3. The Rome win snapped the 11-game winning streak of the Sand Gnats.

Savannah scored in the first when ssWilfredo Tovar walked, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. A single by cBlake Forsythe scored Tovar. In the 2nd, Savannah scored 1bSam Honeck walked, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored when 2bLuis Nieves doubled. The final Gnat run scored in the 3rd inning. lfRaferal Fernandez singled, stole second and third, and scored on a throwing error by the catcher.

Rome scored their first run in the 6th on a home run by 2bTommy LaStella. In the 7th Rome scored two more runs. dhChris Garcia hit a home run over the 400 ft. center field fence for a 4-3 lead in the 8th inning. The Braves scored another run in the 8th.

Savannah had 4 hits for the game. Nieves was 1-for-3 with a double and a RBI.

Starting Sand Gnat pitcher, Taylor Whitenton was masterful pitching 6 innings, allowed 1 run on 2 hits, 2BB, and struck out 5. Luis Rojas (1-5) took the loss, pitching 1 2/3 innings, allowed 4 runs on 3 hits, 3BB, and struck out 2. Guillaume Leduc did not allow a hit or run in the 1 1/3 innings he pitched.

Photo courtesy of Ed DeVita, Editor of The Savannah Sports Monthly.

Sand Gnats win 11th Straight against Rome

The second game of the three game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Rome Braves was played in front of 1,271 fans at Grayson Stadium Tuesday evening. Gnats pitching shut out Rome and allowed only 4 hits to win the game 1-0.

Savannah scored their run in the 6th inning, cAlbert Cordero singled, reached second, and scored on a single by 1bSam Honeck.

For the game, Gnats had 6 hits. Honeck was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI.

Starting Savannah pitcher,Ryan Fraser, was stellar pitching 7 innings, allowed 2 hits, 4BB, and struck out 7. Gabriel Zavala allowed 2 hits pitching the 8th inning. Ronny Morla struck out 1 pitching the 9th inning and earned his 7th save of the season. With the win, Fraser is now 6-5.

Gnats Win 10th Straight Game on July 4th

It took 10 innings for the Savannah Sand Gnats to defeat the Rome Braves 6-5 in the first game of the three game series in front of 3,937 fans at Grayson Stadium on July 4th.

Rome scored 4 runs in the 4th inning highlighted by a 3 run home run by cEvan Gattis. The Braves had 12 hits for the game, 2bTommy La Stella had 4 hits and ssMatt Weaver had 3 hits.

Savannah scored 2 runs in the 1st inning. cfDarrell Ceciliani walked, scored on a triple by ssWilfredo Tovar . Tovar scored on a ground out.

In the 4th inning, dhJoe Bonfe tripled and scored on a ground out. Gnats scored 2 in the 5th when 3bAderline Rodriquez doubled to score 2 runs.

Rome tied the game at 5-5 in their 9th inning.

In the 10th inning, Tovar was hit by a pitch. rfRaferal Fernandez laid down a perfect bunt for a single, folowed by a throwing error by the third baseman, allowed Tovar to reach third base and he was tagged out in a run down between third and home. Meanwhile, Fernandez took third base on the run down. With 2 strikes, c Albert Cordero hit a line drive single to center to drive in the winning run.

For the game, Savannah had 7 hits. Cordero was 2-for-4.

Starting Savannah Sand Gnat pitcher, Yohan Almonte, went 6 2/3 innings, allowed 8 hits, 4 runs, 1BB and struck out 2. Hamilton Bennett pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowed 1 run on 4 hits and struck out 2. Winning pitcher, Ronny Morla, (1-0) pitched the 10 inning and struck out 1.

Photo courtesy of Ed DeVita, Editor of The Savannah Sports Monthly.