Bullpen loses Game 1 of double-header after rain delay

The Skeeters had a chance to pick up 2 games on the 1st place Barnstormers tonight as they played a double-header, the first double-header in franchise history. In Game 1, Heath Phillips (0-3, 3.57 ERA) got the call for game 1 and faced Rich Rundles (2-1, 3.30). The only time the Skeeters have faced Rundles, they scored 6 runs on 8 hits in 5.1 innings on their way to a 9-0 win. They hoped to keep that going in this game...and had 7 innings to get the win.

The Skeeters wasted no time getting on the board as the scored 1 run in the 1st inning when Jason "BIG MAN" Botts grounded out but drove in Bubba Bell for the lone run. It then turned into a pitcher's duel between Phillips and Rundles. Phillips faced 14 batters through the first 4 innings, getting 12 outs...allowing a single & issuing a walk. With the 1st inning included, Rundles faced 16 batters recording 12 outs, allowing 1 run on 2 hits & issuing 1 walk...an error was also committed by the shortstop so the run in the 1st inning was unearned.

A torrential downpour started in the 4th inning and again in the top of the 5th just as the inning started. After 1 pitch to Iggy Suarez, the decision was made by the umpires to tarp the field and send the game into a rain delay. After an hour rain delay...things got back under way!

Dwayne Pollok (1-0, 4.40 ERA) came in for the Barnstormers and retired the Skeeters...3 up & 3 down. Kelvin Villa (0-0, 0.00 ERA) came in for the Skeeters and on just the 3rd pitch, Blake Gailen crushed the ball to right CF, for his 5th of the season, to tie the game at 1-1. That was Villas' first earned run in 3 appearances as a Skeeter.

Jason "BIG MAN" Botts' 13-game consecutive hitting streak came to an end in the 6th inning as he was intentionally walked by Pollok. That came after a Drew Locke double and the bases were loaded when Castro walked but Hagen hit into the inning ending 6-4-3 double play. Ryan Houston (1-1, 3.12 ERA) came in for the Skeeters in the bottom half of the 6th inning and gave up a 1-out double to Fehlandt Lentini and single to Terry Tiffee which scored Lentini to take the lead...2-1. With 2 base runners, and 2 outs, Blake Gailen hit a 3-run home run, his 2nd HR of the game in as many innings...and 6th HR of the season. The Barnstormers led 5-1 after 6 innings of play...3 outs left in game 1 of 2 tonight.

The Skeeters dropped the 1st game of the double-header, making it 5 losses in a row, and fell to 15-20...4-6 over the last 10 games.

Ryan Houston gets credit for the loss after giving up 4 runs on 4 hits in the 6th inning.

Hitting Streaks:

Drew Locke (5)

Dominic Ramos (3)

Game 2 of the double-header is coming up...