South Bend SilverHawks at Dayton Dragons


April 20th, 2002

Hawks
Name POS AB R H RBI
Lino Garcia CF 4 0 0 0
Kevin Brand 3B 4 0 2 0
Scott Hairston 2B 2 0 0 0
Kyle Nichols 1B 4 1 1 1
Jeramy Janz LF 4 1 1 1
Bryan Loeb C 3 0 0 0
Clark Mace DH 4 0 0 0
Rich Barrett RF 3 0 0 0
Rich Haydel SS 3 1 1 1
Dragons
Name POS AB R H RBI
William Bergolla 2B 4 0 0 0
Wandel Campana SS 4 0 0 0
Junior Ruiz DH 4 0 1 0
Noochie Varner CF 3 0 1 0
Jesse Gutierrez 1B 4 1 2 0
Edwin Encarnacion 3B 3 0 1 0
Justin Davis LF 2 0 0 1
Omar Hurtado RF 1 0 0 0
Amaurys Nina PH/RF 1 0 0 0
Bryan Prince C 3 0 0 0

South Bend 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 5 1
Dayton 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5 0

E-Haydel, LOB SB-4, DAY-4, 2B-Gutierrez, HR-Nichols (Gillman), Janz (Gillman), Haydel (Gillman), CS-Varner, SACF-Davis

Hawks
Name IP H R ER BB SO Decison
Edgar Gonzalez 7 5 1 1 2 3 W (2-1)
Corbey Medlin 2 0 0 0 0 2 SV (1)

Dragons
Name IP H R ER BB SO Decison
Justin Gillman 6 5 3 3 2 6 L (0-2)
Andy Boutwell 3 0 0 0 1 5 ND

SO-Garcia 2, Nichols 2, Janz, Mace 3, Barrett, Haydel 2, Ruiz 2, Encarnacion, Hurtado, Prince, BB-Hairston 2, Loeb, Varner, Nina
T-2:33, A-8,025

South Bend Tribune

The South Bend SilverHawks resorted to the long ball to get back on tract Saturday night.

Rich Haydel, Kyle Nichols and Jeramy Janz provided the power by slugging home runs as South Bend downed Dayton, 3-1 to snap a three game losing streak.

In his first outing since tossing a no hitter against West Michigan last Sunday, South Bend right hander Edgar Gonzalez allowed just one run on five hits with three strikeouts over seven innings.

The Hawks got on the board against Dayton starter Dustin Gillman (0-2) in the third inning when Haydel connected for his first round tripper of the season.

Nichols gave the Hawks and Gonzalez a 2-0 lead in the fourth by depositing his first homer of the year over the left field wall.

Janz completed the South Bend scoring in the seventh when he smashed his first long ball of the season.

Gonzalez (2-1) lost his bid for another shutout in the bottom of the seventh when Justin Davis scored Jesse Gutierrez from third base with a sacrifice fly.

Hawks reliever Corby Medlin earned his first save by tossing two innings of hitless relief with a pair of strikeouts.

Dayton Daily News
Marc Katz

Junior Ruiz was promoted to the Dayton Dragons on Saturday in order to add a little "pop" to the lineup.

He did, but it was too little on his first night as the Dragons managed just five hits against the Silver Hawks in a Class A Midwest League game played in front of 8,025 fans at Fifth Third Field.

Ruiz had one of those hits, a single. South Bend also collected only five hits, but three of them left the field on starter Justin Gillman, who otherwise pitched what Dayton manager Donnie Scott thought was a good game.

"They weren't terrible pitches", Scott said of the ones Rick Haydel, Kyle Nichols and Jeramy Janz reversed.

"I just didn't get the job done on those particular batters," Gillman said. "I kept the ball down, but they did their job, too. if it's their time to get a hit, it's their time."

It would appear time for the Dragons to get some hits, some big hits, too, but for the third straight loss and fifth in six, it isn't, as the broke a last place Eastern Divison tie with the SilverHawks.

Maybe the Dragons shouldn't have expected more. In his previous start South Bend's Edgar Gonzalez threw a no hitter, facing the minimum 27 batters. Only a throwing error kept it from being a perfect game.

He allowed the Dragons five hits and a single run, knocked in by Justin Davis in the seventh, in his seven innings of work.

Ruiz was part of the first roster move by the Dragons this season as orchestrated by the parent Cincinnati Reds. Ruiz a second baseman who played rookie ball last year, can play the other infield positions too. He nearly made the Dragons out of spring training but was retained in extended spring training to work on his fielding. He was used as a designated hitterin his first game.

Tim Naehring (Reds' farm director) has a plan," Scott said, "He said, we're not just trying to develop hitters. He's going to help us defensively, too. Tim does a tremendous job. He dosen't make moves just to make moves."

To make room for Ruiz, outfielder/first baseman Chris Williamson was returned to extended spring training to work on his swing, whick produced just one hit (a bunt single) in 22 at bats for an .045 average. Williamson is the only playter to have appeared with all three Dragons teams.