Thursday, August 26, 2010

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EL PASO, Texas – Shreveport-Bossier Captains lefty Richard Salazar showed he was ready for the playoffs with a dominant seven-inning performance as the Captains beat the El Paso Diablos 2-0 Thursday night at Cohen Stadium to earn a sweep, their eighth straight win, and their franchise-best 55th win of the season.

After a 1-2-3 first inning, Salazar (10-4) – making his final regular-season start before a likely Game 1 assignment – gave up a clean single to Rico Santana with one out in the second, but erased him on J.D. Reininger’s 4-6-3 double play. In the third, Adam Deleo blooped a single on the first pitch, but Salazar got a first-pitch fielder’s choice on a bunt from Jeff Hulett and then Jonathan Reynoso grounded into a 6-4-3 twin killing to complete a three-pitch frame.

Salazar then pitched a 1-2-3 fourth before stranding a one-out infield single by Santana in the fifth. Another perfect inning followed in the sixth, before a one-out hit and nothing more for the Diablos (30-61, 11-34 2nd half) in the seventh.

Justin Young relieved Salazar after his seven-inning, four-hit, no-walk, six-strikeout, 84-pitch performance, and retired the Diablos on 12 pitches around a two-out hit in the eighth. Hector Carrasco came on to finish it off, getting his third save of the series and 21st of the year.

The Captains (55-37, 26-19) got all the offense Salazar needed in the first inning. Bryan Sabatella walked against David Whigham (2-8) to start the game, but was caught stealing on the first pitch to Robert Perry. But Perry drew a walk, successfully stole second on the first pitch and moved to third on Deleo’s errant throw to second. On the next pitch, Christopher Garcia grounded to second to bring in Perry with the game’s first run.

Andres Rodriguez and Jorge Alvarez combined for Shreveport-Bossier’s second tally, with a one-out double by Rodriguez followed up by Alvarez’s RBI single smash off the glove of Reininger at third.

Whigham did pitch very well, getting three double plays and allowing just the two runs (with the first one unearned) on five hits and four walks in his eighth innings. But it was not enough to match Salazar, Young and Carrasco.

Notes: The Captains hit into four double plays in the game and nine in the series…This was the Captains’ first road sweep and first road shutout of the season…Shreveport-Bossier finished the year 7-3 at Cohen Stadium and 14-8 against El Paso. In 2009, the Captains were 6-10 against the Diablos and 4-6 in El Paso. The previous franchise-best win total was 54-39 in 2007, the last time that the team was in the playoffs.

The Shreveport-Bossier Captains conclude the 2010 regular season with a three-game series against the Grand Prairie AirHogs at Quiktrip Park, starting Friday, August 27, at 7:05 p.m. The Captains will next be at home for Game 3 of the South Division Championship Series against the Pensacola Pelicans, at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, September 3. Postseason tickets are on sale now at Fair Grounds Field for all possible home playoff games. All games are broadcast streaming live on ustream.tv. For information on tickets, promotions, advertising, and other opportunities with the Captains, check out the team’s Web site at www.sbcaptains.com, or call the Fair Grounds Field office at (318) 636-5555.

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