Isotopes' Bats too Much for RedHawks

Originally Published: Jun 11, 2010 11:50 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City RedHawks lost the first game of a four-game series Friday 8-5 against the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Both squads battled back-and-forth, but the Isotopes (31-28) scored first in the top of the first. Ivan De Jesus Jr. scored on a double-steal with Jamie Hoffmann to take a 1-0 lead.

Oklahoma City (33-27) took its only lead of the game in the bottom of the second. With two on base, Mitch Moreland singled to right field to bring Ryan Garko and Jarrod Saltalamacchia home and take one-run lead. In the next at-bat, Andy Jenkins singled to left field to score Chad Tracy and take a 3-1 lead.

Albuquerque retook the lead in the third and never surrendered it.

In the first at-bat of the inning, Chin-lung Hu homered to left field to close the gap to a single run. Three at-bats later, Jay Gibbons doubled to center field to score Xavier Paul and De Jesus to take a 4-3 lead. The Isotopes added another run in the top of the fifth with a Russ Mitchell RBI double to score Hoffmann to take a two-run lead.

Doug Mathis (1-2) last six innings for Oklahoma City, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits in his outing. The Isotopes got five innings of work from Cody White (3-0). He gave up three earned runs on five hits in his outing for Albuquerque.

A Prentice Redman ground-ball double to left field in the top of the seventh pushed the Isotopes’ lead to three runs. Gregorio Petit scored on a Garko force out to close the gap to 6-4.

Albuquerque scored two unanswered runs to push the lead to 8-4 and essentially put the game out of reach.