Outlaws Dismantle Miners for 3rd straight Win

By TY

Box Score

The Nashville Outlaws brought heavy lumber to yard on Thursday as they pounded out a franchise record 22 hits en route to a 15-4 win over West Virginia to win its third straight game at Hawkins Field. A season-high 11 different Outlaws recorded a hit Thursday, including six with multi-hit games.

West Virginia (23-19) arrived to Hawkins Field riding a six-game winning streak and tied for the Eastern Division lead before getting knocked around for 22 hits.

The game got out of hand quick for the Miners as the Outlaws jumped out to an early 9-1 lead after just three innings. Nashville recorded 13 hits in the first three innings, including seven during a five-run third.

Holding a 9-1 lead after three innings, Nashville would tack on five more runs in the next two innings to take a comfortable 14-4 lead after five complete. By the end of the fifth inning, the Outlaw lineup had tallied 18 hits already while the top of the Outlaw order had already batted five times.

Nashville also had a franchise record four guys with at least three hits in the same game.

Leadoff man Johnny Amann (Judson) led the Outlaws with a perfect 4-for-4 night with a walk and run scored. Amann is hitting .556 (10-for-18) over his last four games and has raised his batting average to a season-high .301.

Bryan Johns (Vanderbilt) recorded his second three-hit game in four days, going 3-for-5 with 3 RBI, a double and run scored on Thursday out of the No. 2 hole.

Andrew Brouillette drove in a team-high four runs with a 3-for-5 night, including a two-run triple in the third while Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) went 3-for-6 with an RBI and run scored.

Jared Fancher (TCU) went 2-for-5 with three runs scored and two runs batted in while Doug Joyce (Florida International) went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.

PJ Francescon (Trevecca Nazarene) made his third start of the season for the Outlaws Thursday, allowing three runs on five hits in four innings of work before leaving the game with an undisclosed injury.

College teammate Craig Stem came into relieve Francescon in the fourth and was very efficient on the mound. Stem (1-1) allowed just one run on one hit in a season-high five innings of relief to earn his first win as an Outlaw.

Fans at Hawkins Field were also treated to some fantastic defensive plays during the slugfest. Jack Lupo (Vanderbilt), Brouillette and Fancher all made web-gem, highlight diving catches Thursday.

With the win the Outlaws improve to 20-19 overall, including 6-5 in the second half of the season.

The Outlaws will play the Miners again tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Hawkins Field.

For tickets log onto www.nashvilleoutlaws.com or call the Nashville Outlaws at 615-866-1040.