HUNTINGTON, W. VA. – Though outhit by the Burlington Sock Puppets, the Coal Cats made more of fewer opportunities to come away with an 8-5 victory Sunday afternoon.
Just as they did the night before, the Coal Cats offense came to life after a scoreless first. The Cats jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning, drawing back-to-back walks that led to RBI singles by Isaac Turner and Trey Lawrence.
Lawrence did more than cap off the Cats’ second inning scoring plays, continuing to contribute with an RBI single during his next at-bat. After driving in a run in the fourth, Lawrence ended his return to the batting order by going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
“He’s going to get some playing time,” manager Tommy Gregg said of the recent MLB Draft Combine attendee. “Loved him getting some hits. He’s swinging at fastballs early in the count, he puts a good swing on it, and good things are going to happen. He can run the bases, steal a base for you, he does a lot of good things.”
However, Lawrence’s RBI single was just the cherry on top of a three-run fourth inning. After the Sock Puppets scored five unanswered runs in the previous two innings, the Cats made quick work of the 5-4 deficit with an RBI double and two sacrifice bunts to retake the lead.
After two rough middle innings, Tri-State’s bullpen shut down Burlington in the final three frames. Joe Gomez and Kenyon Collins each threw two shutout innings, combining for three hits, two walks and five strikeouts.
Michael Rodriguez added to the Cats’ lead with a leadoff blast beyond the left field wall, ending a 2-for-2 day at the dish. With his first home run of the season and just the second for the Cats, the left fielder provided some much-needed power to an already impressive showing.
“It’s huge for him, it’s huge for us,” Gregg said. “When you hit a home run lefty on lefty, that’s really big. He has that kind of power. Just by us coming back in this game, it shows that we can win a ballgame after we’re down.”
On the hill, right-handed reliever David Stitch followed by stranding two runners and striking out a pair to end the Cats’ six-game home stretch on top. Following a day of rest, Tri-State heads south to face the Bristol State Liners in the opener of a five-game road trip.
“We just have to be road warriors,” said the manager. “When you’re at home you do a little extra work, when its 95 degrees we’re out here hitting. So, I like sometimes when we go on the road, get to the park a little later, take BP, and play. A ‘show and go’ is good for energy.”
With the win, Tri-State snapped a three-game skid and sits at 7-9 on the year. Meanwhile, the Sock Puppets fell a half game behind the new leaders of the east, the Danville Otterbots, at 10-7. Tuesday’s series opener against the State Liners will begin at 7 p.m.
For more information about the Tri-State Coal Cats, visit coalcats.com and follow @TriStCoalCats on Twitter and Instagram.
