Albuquerque uses big 7th inning to down 51s
When the Isotopes struck first in the first inning, Las Vegas responded with force in the bottom of the frame.
By the end of the second inning, the 51s had a four-run lead.
But Albuquerque kept chipping away away, taking the lead in the sixth inning before blitzing the 51s with an eight-run seventh inning on its way to a 14-5 victory in the series finale at Cashman Field on Sunday night.
“Playing in Vegas, the big innings, you’re always afraid of them,” manager Tony DeFrancesco said. “They got us today in the seventh. Eight runs, it’s hard to make up.”
Las Vegas (45-49) starter Drew Gagnon gave up a pair of home runs — one in the first and one in the fourth — and two more runs in the fifth but he left with a lead after five innings.
“Overall it was probably one of the best I’ve actually felt body-wise,” Gagnon said. “The only problem is my first-pitch strikes have to get better. Ten of 23. It’s just constant grind mode. I’m putting myself behind. It’s an easy fix. If I just take care of that, I’m working more towards my pitches and what I want to throw instead of what I have to throw.”
That lead he left with disappeared quickly.
Kevin McGowan gave up a two-run blast to catcher Jan Vazquez in the sixth which gave the Isotopes (45-48) the lead back.
McGowan retired two batters in his outing. Buddy Baumann, next in line, got the last out of the sixth but was pulled in the seventh after the first two runners reached on a walk and single.
Both scored as Chris Beck, in his first outing for the 51s, was ineffective.
Beck hit the first batter he saw and then gave up two singles and a bases-loaded walk.
His night was over after two-run Garrett Hampson single.
“Leadoff walk kind of hurt him but command’s been an issue for him. (He’s) just got to keep fighting through it,” DeFrancesco said of Baumann. “(We) got to see Beck for the first time. A little erratic but I think he’s going to be fine once he gets command of his pitches.”
Ian Krol came in to clean up the mess and gave up a two-run double and sacrifice fly before finally retiring the last out of the inning.
And by that point, down nine runs, the game had been effectively decided.
Ryan McMahon, Mike Tauchman and Jan Vazquez all drove in three runs for the Isotopes while Stephen Cardullo led the way with four hits.
Zach Borenstein paced the 51s with three hits while Cody Asche hit a three-run home run in the first inning that had given the team its lead. Patrick Kivlehan drove in the team’s first run with an RBI single while Jeff McNeil had a sacrifice fly in the second inning.
“It was just an off day,” Gagnon said. “Not for everyone but they put up their runs. They haven’t been scoring the last three games. They put up their runs today to make up for it. They looked like they were hitting good so I mean hats off to them.”
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