RedHawks Swept by Cubs in Doubleheader

Originally Published: Jul 20, 2010 10:4 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Oklahoma City RedHawks’ bats fell silent Tuesday, resulting in a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Iowa Cubs.

The RedHawks (52-43) were in position to win the second game of the night, but were doomed by a costly mistake in a 4-3 loss.

With the score tied 3-3 in the fourth and runners on first and third with two outs, Tanner Scheppers threw a wild pitch that scored a run. That run turned out to be the game winner.

Oklahoma City took the lead in the second inning on an RBI groundout by Craig Gentry, but the Cubs (53-44) took the lead thanks to a two-run home run from Sam Fuld in the third.

The ‘Hawks answered with a two-run homer of their own off the bat of Kevin Richardson to retake the lead in the top of the fourth. After an RBI single by Welington Castillo tied the game again, Castillo came around to score on Scheppers’ wild pitch.

Scheppers (1-1) is one of the Texas Rangers’ most promising pitching prospects, but has had problems of late. He entered in relief Tuesday and was credited with the loss after giving up two runs on three hits and a walk in his two innings of work.

Hung-Wen Chen (1-1) scattered seven hits and three across his five innings and finished with the win. Scott Maine earned his third save of the season after holding OKC hitless in the seventh inning.

Cubs 9, RedHawks 2

In the first game of the night, Micah Hoffpauir and Bryan LaHair led the Cubs to victory with two home runs each.

The RedHawks scored the game’s first run in the top of the first on an RBI groundout by Max Ramirez, but they never held the lead again. Hoffpauir launched his first homer in the bottom of the inning, a two-run shot to put the Cubs on top.

The Cubs recorded their biggest inning of the game in the third, when they loaded the bases with nobody out. Ramirez committed an error in the next at-bat, allowing an unearned run to score and the bases to remain loaded. After a double play ball scored another run, LaHair capped the inning with a two-run homer for a 6-1 lead.

Iowa continued to pile up runs in the next two innings. Darwin Barney drove in a run with a two-out single in the fourth, while Hoffpauir and LaHair each hit their second home runs – both solo shots – in the fifth to go up 9-1.

The RedHawks managed to add one more run in the sixth on a home run by Mitch Moreland, but they never threatened the lead.

Elizardo Ramirez (4-4) was credited with the loss after giving up seven runs – only three of them earned – on eight hits in four innings of work. Casey Coleman (9-7) pitched a complete game and gave up two runs on seven hits.