Hoppers' Herman hurts leg in loss to Renegades

GREENSBORO ― Both of Jack Herman’s superb catches at the left-field fence saved runs Tuesday night.

But the second one cost more than it saved.

Herman, a 22-year-old corner outfielder and perhaps the most popular player in the Greensboro Grasshoppers’ clubhouse, suffered a leg injury and had to be carted off the field on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance.

How Herman held onto the ball after snaring the third out of the fifth inning is a mystery.

The play clearly took something out of the Hoppers. Their two-run lead evaporated in the second half of the game, as the Hudson Valley Renegades hit three home runs off the Hoppers’ bullpen and rallied for an 8-7 victory at New Bridge Bank Park.

Hudson Valley hit four home runs in all, and Herman robbed the Renegades of a fifth dinger when he leaped at the wall and caught Carlos Narvaez’s drive to end the second inning.

But the other home runs accounted for seven of Hudson Valley’s eight runs.

Tyler Hardman hit a pair of two-run home runs for the Renegades. Eric Wagaman started the comeback with a solo shot, and Trey Sweeney finished it with a key two-run shot in the seventh inning.

Greensboro led 4-3 when Herman was hurt in the top of the fifth inning.

Starting pitcher Jared Jones had pitched well, but ran into a jam in the fifth when he walked the leadoff hitter, gave up a single and threw a wild pitch. With runners at third and second and no out, Cooper Bowman hit a sacrifice fly caught by Hudson Head in deep center field.

With Palensky at third, Herman covered a lot of ground and made a nifty catch near the line in shallow left field, firing a throw home to hold the runner.

Herman ended the threat by catching Everson Pereira’s deep line drive, leaping near the fence to reach the ball. But Herman’s right foot hit the padded wall, twisting his ankle in a direction nature never intended.

Herman lay on the warning track and held the ball up. Once umpires acknowledged the catch, Herman tossed his ball and glove away and began waving for help. Shortstop Francisco Acuña, manager Callix Crabbe and trainer Matt McNamee rushed out to left field.

McNamee put an air splint on Herman’s lower leg. Firefighters and EMS arrived, lifted Herman onto a stretcher and took him out through the gate in center field.

Herman went 1-for-1 with a walk in the game. His hit was a line drive that struck the wall in right-center field so hard that it bounced back to the outfielders so fast Herman had to settle for a single.

Endy Rodriguez reached base five times to lead Greensboro’s offense with two hits, two walks and a hit-by–pitch. Rodriguez went 2-for-2 with a towering three-run home run that sailed 403 feet, bounced off of Eugene Street and struck the hotel across the street.

Sammy Siani hit a two-run home run for Greensboro, and Dariel Lopez went 2-for-4 with a double in his fourth consecutive multi-hit game.

Jones struck out seven in five solid innings for the Hoppers, but the Renegades roughed up middle relievers Santiago Florez (1-2) and Jack Carey, scoring five runs to take the lead.

The Hoppers put the tying run on base in the ninth inning, but Hudson Valley reliever Tanner Myatt struck out Head to end the game.

NOTES

• Jack Herman is a .260 hitter with 33 home runs and 127 RBIs in 224 minor-league games over the last four seasons. He’s played in 35 games for the Hoppers this season. … On the original lineup card, Herman was penciled in as the right fielder with Sammy Siani in left. Manager Callix Crabbe swapped the two corners during warmups before the first inning.
• Greensboro is 10-10 in one-run games this season. The Hoppers have won nine of their last 14 one-run games.
• Designated hitter Yoyner Fajardo went 0-for-4 with a walk. He is 0-for-15 in his last five games, dropping his batting average from .330 to .284 (31-for-109). Fajardo has hit safely in 20 of 29 games played, with 10 multi-hit games.
• First baseman Jacob Gonzalez went 0-for-5 with an RBI sacrifice fly. He has been one of the South Atlantic League's best players since his promotion from Class-A Bradenton on May 10. He has hit safely in 22 of 28 games since then, with 11 multi-hit games. Gonzalez is 36-for-107 (.336) with six doubles, a triple, five home runs and 15 RBIs.