White Sox win Area Code Games
By Kevin Askeland
Aug 11, 2010, 12:05pm
White Sox blast Rangers on final day to finish with 4-1 record; Brewers Blue miss top spot with loss to Reds.
The White Sox finished with the best record Tuesday at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif. with a 9-1 victory over the Rangers.
On the final day of the six-day showcase, the White Sox had one of their best offensive showings of the tournament and also got strong pitching to drop the Rangers to 1-4 on the week.
Meanwhile the Brewers Blue had a chance to tie the White Sox with the best record, but fell to the Reds 9-3. The Brewers Blue finished the tournament tied with the Brewers White at 3-2 while the Reds finished second with a 3-1-1 record.
The Athletics won their final game against the Yankees, 3-1, to end the tournament with a 2-3 mark. The Yankees, who scored five runs in their first game of the tournament, scored only five in their remaining four games combined. They ended the tournament with a 1-3-1 record.
Athletics 3, Yankees 1
Scoring: The Athletics scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the second. Logan Ratledge went to first base as a courtesy runner when Tanner Pollack was hit by a pitch. He went to second on a subsequent single and stole third. James Harris Jr. then knocked him home with a single. Pollack eventually scored on a passed ball and Harris scored on Jo-El Bennett's sacrifice fly.
The Yankees, who scored just one run over their final two games, scored their only run in the top of the fourth when Cameron Gallagher singled and scored on Elvin Soto's base hit.
Top Pitcher: Jake Reed pitched one inning of relief for the Yankees and struck out two without allowing a baserunner.
Top Hitter: Darren Whatley went 2-for-2 for the Athletics.
Best Hit: Gallagher had a double for the Yankees' best hit of the game.
Best Defensive Play: Athletics catcher Brett Geren threw out a pair of Yankee baserunners in the first three innings.
White Sox 9, Rangers 1
Scoring: The White Sox finished with the best record at the Area Code Games at 4-1 after throttling the Rangers.The White Sox had a pair of three-run rallies and handed the Rangers their fourth loss of the tournament. Dylan Delso had a two-run single in the bottom of the third and he scored on Jerrick Suiter's basehit.
In the fourth, Brian Anderson, Drake Roberts and Joel Seddon hit consecutive singles to score one run. One out later, Caleb Simpson singled to drive in a pair. Delso and Suiter scored in the bottom of the fifth with Johnny Eierman knocking in Delso and Suiter scoring on an error. Blake Hickman plated the final run with an RBI single.
The Rangers got their only run in the fourth inning when C.J. Hinojosa scored on Matthew Dean's groundout. Hinojosa was a courtesy runner for Nick Williams, who had been hit by a pitch.
Top Pitcher: Patrick Hope got the White Sox off to a good start as he pitched the first two innings and allowed no runs on one hit with one walk and five strikeouts.
Top Hitter: Delso was 1-for-1 with two runs scored, two RBIs and two walks.
Best Hit: Mason Snyder's double for the White Sox was the game's only extra-base hit.
Best Defensive Play: Hinojosa turned an unassisted double play at shortstop on Eierman's grounder in the seventh inning.
Reds 9, Brewers Blue 3
Scoring: The Reds kept the Brewers Blue from tying for the best record at the Area Code Games thanks to a five-run rally in the sixth inning of the last game Tuesday. Michael Howard opened the scoring in the sixth when he reached on an error and scored on Joe Serrano's base hit. Serrano later scored on a bases-loaded walk to Drew Stankiewicz while Mikel Mucha scored on an errant pickoff attempt. Omar Gomez and Stankiewicz both scored in the inning on Kavin Keyes' single.
The Reds took a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning when Stankiewicz and Brett Harrison each hit RBI singles. Brewers Blue held the early lead with two runs in the first inning on a two-run single by Riley Moore. Harrison closed the gap for the Reds in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, but the Brewers Blue made it 3-1 in the third with an RBI single by Travis Harrison.
Keyes cut the lead to 3-2 when he scored on Casey Thomas' single in the bottom of the fourth.
Top Pitcher: Zach Davies of the Reds pitched the final two innings and did not give up a run while allowing one hit with three strikeouts and no walks.
Top Hitter: Brett Harrison made the most of his at-bats, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks.
Best Hit: Daniel Camarena of the Brewers Blue had the best hit of the game with a triple.
Best Defensive Play: The five-run rally in the sixth could have been worse, however pitcher Kenny Mathews entered the game for the Brewers Blue and picked off the runner at second to end the inning.
