Thomas homers twice for O’s

By JED LOCKETT

BLUEFIELD — The Bluefield Orioles needed a special effort to beat the Appalachian League East Division leading Danville Braves on Friday night. They got it from an unlikely source.

Corey Thomas hit two home runs and drove in four runs to lead the Bluefield Orioles to a 9-6 win over the Danville Braves.

“It felt good,” said Thomas, who came into the game batting just .268 with 10 RBIs. “I knew I was due for a big game. I just told them I was due for a big game.”

Thomas’ first blast of the game was also his third of the season. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Corey Thomas demolished a 2-1 pitch for a three-run homer to left field. It brought in Joel Polanco and Mike Flacco, who reached on consecutive singles, and gave the Baby Birds a 5-2 lead.

“The home run in the fifth, I just trusted my hands,” Thomas said. “They’ve got a good pitching staff and the last time we faced them they owned me. I kind-of put a chip on my shoulder and tried to really get at it.”

Two innings later, Thomas led off the inning by launching the 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for his fourth home run of the year. It was the first blood in a three-run inning that saw Javier Santana single to score Jose Kianes and Larry Rivera come home on a Gary Helmick sacrifice fly. This rally extended Bluefield’s lead to 9-2 and put the game out of reach.

“The one in the seventh, that one kind-of surprised me,” Thomas said. “I don’t know my own strength. That one there was a curve ball and I sat back and just let my hands do the work and I'd seen the result.”

Thomas ended the game 2-for-4.

Santana was the other Baby Bird with multiple hits, going 2-for-2 with an RBI.

Osman Marval led Danville, going 2-for-5 with an RBI. Derek Wiley, a seventh-inning replacement at first base, went 2-for-2 with a run and Robert Hefflinger also went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. Mycal Jones added his third home run of the season to the Braves’ cause.

Bluefield sent Justin Moore to the mound. He responded by giving up two runs on four hits and putting himself in position to get the win. He was not spectacular, striking out just one, but he was solid, walking just one and picked up the win to improve to 2-2.

Julio Teheran took the mound for Danville and matched Moore for four innings, giving up two runs and three hits. But Bluefield got to him in the fifth with three base knocks including Thomas’ first home run of the game. Teheran took the loss and dropped to 1-1 for the year.

The Braves struck first in the first inning when Mycal Jones blasted a solo homer over the left-center field fence. But Bluefield responded in the bottom of the frame. Helmick continued his hot streak with a triple to left center. He scored on the next pitch, a Luis Ramirez grounder to first.

Danville gained an opportunity to retake the lead in the top of the second. Singles by Marval and Jordan Kreke gave Danville runners on first and third with no outs.

But a foul pop caught by catcher Dashenko Ricardo produced the first out. A fly ball to left fielder Kianes produced the second and Kianes’ subsequent throw to Ricardo got Marval at the plate. Danville came away with nothing.

Ironically, it was Kianes and Ricardo that teamed up to . After Kianes reached on an error by Danville first baseman Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg, Ricardo smacked the next pitch for an RBI double to left-center.

The Orioles subsequently loaded the bases with consecutive walks. But Helmick grounded into a fielder’s choice to the catcher and Ramirez struck out to end the Bluefield threat.

The Braves tied the game in the top of the fourth when Marval doubled to bring in Spanjer-Furstenburg. But that run was answered by the Orioles in the bottom of the fifth when Thomas’ first homer of the game.

Bluefield increased their advantage in the bottom of the sixth after Rivera scored on a sacrifice fly by Helmick. Then one inning later, Thomas struck again with his second homer that began another three-run outburst.

The Braves finally rallied with four runs in the ninth. Jones sacrificed himself to score Daniel Elorriaga-Matra. Then Hefflinger singled to left to bring home L.V. Ware and Cory Harrilchak. Wiley also scored on the play due to an error by Kianes. But it was far too little, far too late.

The Orioles (16-15) travel to Danville (21-10) for the second of their three-game series with first pitch set for 7 p.m.

—Contact Jed Lockett

at jlockett@bdtonline.com



At Bowen Field

Danville…..................100 100 004 — 6 10 5

Bluefield….................110 031 30x — 9 9 3

Julio Teheran, David Hale (6), Adam Bullard (7), Dennis Accomando (8) and Daniel Elorriaga-Matra. Justin Moore, Justin Anderson (6), Michael Mechaw (9) and Dashenko Ricardo. WP - Moore (2-2). LP - Teheran (1-1). HR - Dan, Mycal Jones (3); Blu, Corey Thomas (3, 4). Att. - 1,052.

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