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| IRONPIGS' BATS STYMIED IN 5-1 LOSS TO LOUISVILLE |
| Chiavacci Traded to Houston to Complete Randolph Trade |
| What started out as a pitchers dual between Louisville’s Daryl Thompson and Lehigh Valley’s Gary Knotts ended in an IronPigs’ 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Bats in the series finale from Louisville Slugger field. Thompson (2-0) allowed one run on six hits and fanned a half dozen IronPigs en route to Louisville taking three of four in the first series ever between to two franchises. LF Drew Anderson homered and drove in two for the Bats who remain one game back of first-place Toledo in the IL West Division. |
| Knotts (1-1) suffered his first loss of the year despite allowing just three hits and two earned runs over 5.0 innings in his third start of the season. He had allowed just one hit over the first four innings of the game but ran into trouble following a leadoff walk to Louisville C Ryan Hanigan in the 5th. After moving to second on a sac bunt, Hanigan came around to score the first run of the game on an RBI double by Chris Dickerson. The Bats’ RF moved to third on a single by SS Luis Bolivar and would come in to make it a 2-0 game on a sac fly by the pitcher Thompson. |
| Lehigh Valley answered back on one of Andy Tracy’s three hits in the ball game when he singled home Mike Cervenak with the IronPigs lone run of the evening in top of the 6th. Cervenak hit his 14th double in the inning to set up the run and went 2-for-4 in a losing effort. He now is the owner of the longest hitting streak in the IL this season at 17 consecutive games. |
| Louisville however, struck for two more runs in the bottom half of the sixth off the previously untouchable lefthander R.J. Swindle. Anderson singled home Andy Green for the Bats’ first run and then Swindle walked Bolivar with the bases loaded to give the home team a 4-1 lead. Swindle, who had not been scored upon since May 14, was charged with two runs on two hits and walked three in his only inning of work. |
| Steve Green pitched the final 2.0 innings of the game for the IronPigs and yielded the Anderson home run to right with two outs in the bottom of the 8th. For the Nebraska native, it was his third of the season and second of the series against Lehigh Valley pitching. |
| The loss snapped the IronPigs’ streak of five straight series with either a win or a split as they dropped three of four in their first ever visit to Louisville Slugger Field. They are also the first IL team to lose 40 games this season with 25 of those defeats coming away from Coca-Cola Park. They have yet to win a road series during their inaugural season. |
| Prior to the game, the Philadelphia Phillies announced that RHP Ron Chiavacci was traded to Houston as the player to be named later in the deal involving LHP Stephen Randolph. Chiavacci was victorious in the first win in IronPigs’ franchise history on April 14 but was winless in his last eight starts with Lehigh Valley. Overall, the Scranton, Pa. native went 1-7 with a 5.90 ERA in 11 starts with the IronPigs. Randolph meanwhile, is 0-1 with two saves and an ERA of 1.23 in 11 appearances out of the Lehigh Valley bullpen. |
| The IronPigs will now head to Indianapolis to face the Indians in a four-game series from Victory Field. LHP Travis Blackley (0-3, 6.46) will be looking for his first victory in an IronPigs’ uniform when he takes on Luis Munoz (3-1, 5.01) of Indy who took a no-decision in his last start against Lehigh Valley last week. First pitch from Indianapolis is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. |
| Matt Provence will deliver all the action beginning at 6:30 p.m. on the AT&T pre-game show on flagship station 90.3 FM WXLV and 95.1 HD-2 WZZO, “The Digital Home of the IronPigs.” |
| The IronPigs return to Coca-Cola Park for an 11-game homestand on beginning Saturday, June 7 at 7:05 when they host the Rochester Red Wings in a three-game series. The first 2,500 children 12 and under in attendance will receive an IronPigs t-shirt courtesy of Coca-Cola. |
| Single-game tickets, mini-plan packages and group tickets for the IronPigs inaugural season, presented by Capital BlueCross, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Coca-Cola Park Ticket Office, online at www.ironpigsbaseball.com or by calling (610) 841-PIGS. |
