Team Effort For Savannah Leads Them To 4-2 Victory

Savannah 4, West Virginia 2

The Savannah Sand Gnats won their fourth straight game, defeating the West Virginia Power 4-2 Friday night at Historic Grayson Stadium in front of 3,002 fans.

The Gnats (13-8) took a lead they never relinquished with a three-run bottom of the first.Clay Holmes walked RF Gregory Pron with the bases loaded to force home the first run of the night. Starter Clay Holmes then plunked DH Jeffrey Glenn for the second run. SS Phillip Evans singled deep in the hole at shortstop to drive in the final run of the inning.

The Power (9-13) picked up two runs in the top of the second inning against Savannah starter Steven Matz, helped by a pair of walks. CF Raul Fortunato and 2B Ashley Ponceeach contributed RBI singles. Matz picked up some help from his defense to end the inning when LF Stefan Sabol made a running, over-the-shoulder grab on the warning track.

Matz went 4.1 innings, but the Savannah bullpen finished the game with 4.2 scoreless frames with one hit and five strikeouts. Julian Hilario earned his second win of the year for his two scoreless innings in which he allowed a walk and fanned two.

The Gnats added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning on an RBI single by 3B Yucary De La Cruz.

Beck Wheeler worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of 2013.

1B Jayce Boyd was 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 11 straight games – the longest by a Gnat in 2013 and the longest active streak in the SAL.

The Gnats send RHP Rainy Lara (2-1, 2.70) to the hill Saturday against LHP Orlando Castro (2-1, 1.77). First pitch is scheduled for 6:05.