Double Dog Day in Pawtucket

Man, woman, child, and canine were all in attendance for the Annual 'Bark at the Park' at McCoy Stadium. The original game was scheduled to be played at 1:05 p.m. ET. However due to yesterday's game being cancelled due to rain, the Pawsox and the Rochester Red Wings played a double-header feature today at 12:05 p.m. and then at 3:00 p.m. ET.

The first game was a no-contest win for Pawtucket, a 7-1 blowout against the Red Wings in a shortened 7-inning game. The Red Wings got on the board early in the top of the 1st inning with a RBI single by LF/1B Chris Colabello off of Pawsox starter Terry Doyle. After giving up that early run, Doyle went on to shut down the Red Wings. He went 5 innings, giving up 2 hits, 1 run (earned), walked only 1 batter while striking out 5 for the No-Decision. It was Relief Pitcher Oscar Villareal who got the win, going 1 inning while just giving up only 1 hit. Red Wings reliever Anthony Slama was tagged for the loss, going 1/3 inning and giving up 2 hits, walking 2 batters, and gave up 4 runs (all earned).

At the plate, the Pawsox loaded the bases in 4 innings, including a stretch from the 4th inning to the 6th inning where at one point the bases were loaded. The first 3 times, the Pawsox couldn't capitalize on the opportunity. But in the bottom of the 6th, their fortune changed. During that inning, starting from the #8 hitter in the lineup (CF J.C. Linares) and looping back to him, the entire batting order of the Pawsox got to bat at least once with 7 of the 9 batters reaching base. INF Drew Sutton and DH David Ortiz (who is down in Pawtucket on rehab assignment) each lead the way with 2 RBIs apiece as the team scored a season-high 6 runs in that inning.
 
In the second game, it was the same result: a score of 7-1 in favor of the Pawsox in 7-innings of play. Chris Colabello of the Red Wings again scored the only run for his team in the top of the first, a 1-run homer off of Paw Sox starter Rubby de La Rosa. Rubby went only 2 1/3 inning, giving up one hit and earned run (the homer to Colabello) while walking 2 and striking out 3. Relief Pitcher Graham Godfrey got the win, going 3 2/3 inning and gave up no hits or runs during that timeframe, walked just 1 batter, and struckout 5. His Red Wing counterpart, Virgil Vasquez, did not have the same sort of success, going 4 innings while giving up 7 hits and 3 runs (all earned), walking 1 Pawsox and striking out 3 and was tabbed for the loss.

Again the Pwsox had tremendous success in the 6th inning, scoring a majority of their runs (4) then. Leading the way was LF Mark Hamilton with a double that drove in 3 Runs that inning. He finished the day going 2-3 with 4 RBIs, 1 BB, and 1 SO. Teammate DH Jeremy Hazelbaker contributed in the win with a solo home run in the 4th inning to get things starts. He finished the game going 2-2 with a HR, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored, including one in the 6th inning.

The last game of the series will be at 1:05 p.m. ET. Then the two teams don't see each other until April 19th-22nd when they play at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY while the next Pawsox homestand against Rochester will be in 3 months exact in July from the 11th-14th (Thusrday to Sunday).

-Ryan L. Fox