Savannah Sand Gnats (31-24, 2nd, Southern) vs. Asheville Tourists (23-30, 6th, Southern)

From Press Release:

LHP Mark Cohoon (4-1, 1.85) vs. RHP Chris Balcom-Miller (0-1, 2.55)

Historic Grayson Stadium – Savannah, GA

Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, http://www.sandgnats.com/

Tonight: The Gnats finish a four-game series with the Asheville Tourists, looking for a split. The Gnats are three games out of first place for the third straight day.



Last Night: Wilmer Flores’ RBI double in the bottom of the 11th inning drove home Dock Doyle with the winning run for Savannah in a 2-1 game. Flores finished 2-5 with two doubles. Both starters were excellent: Jimmy Fuller held Asheville to one unearned run on four hits in seven innings, walking one and fanning one while the Tourists’ Tyler Matzek was almost as good, limiting Savannah to one run on four hits in six innings with eight strikeouts. The Gnats’ only run off Matzek came on Alonzo Harris’ solo home run leading off the first inning.

Now Pitching: Mark Cohoon will make his 11th Sand Gnats start of the year. The Gnats are 7-3 in Cohoon’s starts and have supported him with 4.4 runs per game. His 1.85 ERA is 5th-best in the SAL and his 63.1 innings pitched are sixth-most on the circuit. Cohoon has thrown at least five innings in each of his starts for Savannah this year and has gone at least six innings in eight of his ten starts. He spent all of 2009 with Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League where he was 9-2 with a 2.15 ERA in 14 starts. He fanned 70 and walked 20 in 92 innings. His 2.15 ERA was 6th in the League and the Mets recognized him with the team’s Sterling Award as the Cyclones’ MVP. In 2008 with Savannah, Cohoon was 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA in seven starts after moving directly from the Kingsport Mets, skipping over Brooklyn. The Mets drafted Cohoon in the 12th round of the 2008 draft out of North Central Texas College.

Two for Flo: Wilmer Flores was 2-5 last night with a pair of doubles. It was his first multi-hit game since May 16th when he was 3-6 against Augusta. After that game on May 16th, Flores average sat at .364/.418/.589 (AVG/OBP/SLG), his high-water mark in all three major rate categories this year. It was his first mult-extra base hit game since pounding out a double, a triple, and a home run in Lakewood on May 8th.

Vs. Asheville: The Gnats are 1-2 against the Tourists this year. The two teams are scheduled for 18 games this year, 14 of which will be played in the second half. The Gnats were 5-7 against the Tourists last year. The Gnats are 14-20 against the Tourists as a Mets affiliate.