Bats Edge Past PawSox, 8-7

Drew Anderson knocked in the go ahead run in the top of the ninth, and the Louisville bullpen held back one last Pawtucket charge, as the Bats nipped the PawSox, 8-7 tonight at McCoy. The loss was the PawSox' third in a row.

The PawSox rallied to put themselves in a position to tie or even win the game in the bottom of the ninth when, with one out, Jed Lowrie and Chris Carter singled to put two runners on against Louisville reliever Josh Roenicke. But Roenicke closed the door, retiring George Kottaras and Keith Ginter to seal the Bats' victory.

The Bats' winning run came off PawSox reliever Michael Tejera (3-4), who up until the ninth, had pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. He entered the final frame in a tie game after Jonathan Van Every knotted the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer to left center, his 12th of the year.

Neither of the team's ace starters, Adam Pettyjohn for the Bats, nor David Pauley for the PawSox, pitched particularly well. Pettyjohn pitched five innings, giving up five runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out no one. Pauley went 6 1/3 innings, yielding seven runs, four of which were earned. He walked one, struck out two, and gave up a two-run homer to Andy Green in the fifth.

The PawSox had a 2-0 lead after two innings on an RBI double by Carter in the first and a Joe Thurston sacrifice fly in the second.

The Bats scored five runs over the fourth and fifth innings to take their first lead of the night. Anderson and Ryan Hanigan drove in two runs in the fourth. The Bats scored three unearned runs in the fifth as a throwing error by 1B Chad Spann plated a run just ahead of Green's homer.

The PawSox clawed back with three of their own in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Kottaras and Ginter.

Consecutive doubles by Jerry Gil and Adam Rosales plated two more Bats runs in the top of the sixth. Joe Thurston kept the PawSox within a run, belting his 4th homer of the season in the bottom of the frame.

Green was 3 for 5 to with two RBI's to pace the Louisville attack. Anderson and Rosales added two hits apiece with Anderson also driving in a pair.

Thurston went 3 for 4 and drove in two for Pawtucket, Carter and Kottaras each had a pair of hits. Kottaras also added two RBI's. Lowrie's single in the ninth extended his hit streak to 12 games.

Todd Coffey (1-2) picked-up the win in relief for the Bats. Roenicke earned the save.

Game two of the series will be played tomorrow night (7:05 pm) as RHP Ramon Ramirez (2-0, 6.06) takes the mound for Louisville against RHP Edgar Martinez (2-1, 4.61) for Pawtucket.

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