Lowell Spinners Blanked By Tri-City 7-0

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On a hot and steamy night at LeLacheur Park on Thursday night, a movie was being played. It was a silent picture starring the Lowell Spinners who could muster only three hits and five total base runners. The result was a 7-0 defeat at the hands of the Tri-City Valley Cats.

Three pitchers combined on the shutout. It was the second of the season for the Stedler Division leaders who faced a Spinners lineup that had plenty of new faces in it. That was thanks to recent call-ups from the Gulf Coast team.

Tri-City got it started in the second inning against Lowell’s starter Yorvin Pantoja. Valley Cats catcher, Oscar Campos, drove the first pitch he saw over the wall in left field. The blast was his third of the season and traveled an estimated 401 feet. 1-0 Valley Cats.

Brett Conine made his third start of the season against the Spinners. In his previous two, he never made it past the fourth inning. Thursday night, he once again did not get by the fourth. He gave his team a solid three and two-thirds of two-hit baseball.

Spinners manager, Corey Wimberly thought the bottom of the fourth was a key inning for his offense. Four batters came to the plate and all would push the count to three and two. However, only one, Tyler Esplin, would reach base. It was on a double to right field, one of two hits on the night for the Spinners right fielder. He was the only member of the starting nine with a multi-hit game.

Pantoja would give up his second run of the night in the fifth. He gave up three straight hits after one man was out. The hit was produced by Deury Carrasco, part of a three for three, plus a walk night for the Valley Cats shortstop. The hit scored Logan Matrix, (two hits and two runs scored) and gave Tri-City a 2-0 lead after five.

Pantoja gave way to the Spinners bullpen. Yorvin was good going the first five, allowing five hits and two earned runs, walked one, and struck out four.

The bullpen struggled, especially both Andrew Politi and Francisco Lopes-Soto who over the final two innings, gave up a combined five runs and seven hits.

Wimberly praised the Valley Cats pitching and also thought his team “played hard”.

The loss pretty much eliminated the Spinners from postseason consideration. With five games left, they would have to win out and Tri-City would have to lose their remaining games.

Game two of this series is set for Friday night at 6:30 pm.