Savannah 6, West Virginia 2

HIGHLIGHTS:  The West Virginia Power fell Friday to the Savannah Sand Gnats by a 6-2 final at Appalachian Power Park.  The Sand Gnats held a 3-0 lead after three and a half innings and added three late runs to secure a split of the series with the Power.


            Travis Taijeron hit a solo home run off Power starter Nick Kingham to open a 1-0 lead in the second.  Savaanah would add single runs against Kingham in the third and fourth inning before West Virginia would crack the scoreboard.     

     
            In the home half of the fourth, Gregory Polanco singled, stole second, and moved to third on a groundout before scoring on a single by Chris Lashmet to cut the deficit down by one at 3-1.  West Virginia tallied its second run in the sixth when three straight Power players singled to load the bases at the start of the inning.  Lashmet followed with a fielder’s choice that allowed Polanco to score and put West Virginia down by one at 3-2.


            The rally, however, was not enough as Savannah would add three more runs against the Power bullpen to put the game out of reach.


            Nick Kingham (0-1) took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over five innings while Tyler Pill (2-1) notched the win with six innings of work.  West Virginia had eight hits in the loss, all singles, and Alen Hanson was held hitless as hit 16-game hitting streak came to an end.  


            Savannah claimed the first and last games of the series and the Power won the middle two in the only matchup this season between the clubs.