Inman's complete game seals doubleheader sweep

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (June 15, 2019) - Behind an offensive slugfest in game one and Ryne Inman's first career complete game in game two, the Power swept the Hagerstown Suns in a doubleheader Saturday evening at Historic Municipal Stadium, claiming game one, 9-3, and game two, 2-1.

Game 1: West Virginia 9, Hagerstown 3 (F/7)
West Virginia (35-33) wasted no time getting to Hagerstown starter Tomas Alastre (3-6) in the first inning. After the Suns' righty struck out Ryan Ramiz and J.R. Davis, Julio Rodriguez lofted a double just out of the reach of Justin Connell in left to extend the inning. The next batter, Bobby Honeyman, smacked a double down the left-field line to score Rodriguez and give the Power a 1-0 lead.
Hagerstown (30-38) answered with two runs of their own in the home half of the first against Clay Chandler (7-3), but the Power's offense was nowhere near finished. Charlie McConnell led off the second with a scalded double to right-center that just missed leaving the yard, while Joseph Rosa followed that up a with a two-run bomb to right, his third of the season, to vault the Power back in front at 3-2.
Alastre only lasted through the fourth for the Suns, as West Virginia tagged the Venezuela native for four runs in the frame. Rosa ignited the offensive surge with a base hit to start the inning. Nick Rodriguez then socked a double to left-center to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Manny Pazos could not bring in a run, as his fly ball to center was too shallow for Rosa to try and score, but Ramiz grounded a base hit into right field that sent in Rosa and Rodriguez to extend the lead to 5-2. Three batters later, Honeyman scorched a two-run double to right to cap the four-run stanza and put the Power up 7-2.
West Virginia would tack on two more in the sixth to put the game out of reach, as Julio added an RBI single and Honeyman picked up his fourth RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly to make it 9-2 Power.
Chandler took care of the first five innings for West Virginia, settling down after a rocky first to only cede three hits over his final four frames while striking out five batters. Elias Espino surrendered a run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Nic Perkins, while Sal Biasi spun a 1-2-3 seventh to close out the twin bill opener.  
Game 2: West Virginia 2, Hagerstown 1 (F/7)
Ryne Inman (6-5) dominated the Suns (30-39) in game two, spinning his first career complete game while holding Hagerstown to one run on two hits with three strikeouts. The right-hander allowed his only run in the second inning, as Kyle Marinconz singled with one down, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a throwing error by Jake Anchia. Following a fielding error by Nick Rodriguez later in the frame that let Trey Vickers climb aboard, Inman set down 13 in a row from the end of the second through the sixth inning. 
Inman is the second West Virginia hurler to spin a complete game this year, joining Chandler, who accomplished the feat May 9 against Augusta in game one of a twin bill.
Just like they did in game one, the Power (36-33) jumped on Hagerstown starter Ryan Tapani (3-5) in the opening frame. The first three batters (Ramiz, David Sheaffer and Julio) all logged consecutive singles against the right-hander, with Julio's plating Ramiz for a 1-0 West Virginia lead.
With the game tied at one in the fifth, Ramiz led off the frame and worked the count full against Tapani. On the sixth pitch he saw in the at-bat, the New Jersey native drilled a solo home run into the bullpen, his third long ball of the year, to vault the Power ahead for good. Ramiz's roundtripper would eventually mark the difference in the 2-1 win.
West Virginia concludes its first half schedule with the series finale of their four-game series against the Hagerstown Suns Sunday afternoon at Historic Municipal Stadium. First pitch is set for 2:05 p.m. RHP Devin Sweet (2-2, 4.04 ERA) heads to the hill for the Power, while the Suns send lefty Tim Cate (4-4, 2.81 ERA) to the slab. Pregame coverage begins at 1:45 p.m. on The Jock 1300 and 1340 AM, as well as online at wvpower.com and via the TuneIn Radio App and MiLB First Pitch App.
The 2019 South Atlantic League All-Star Game, presented by Segra, comes to Appalachian Power Park on June 18, with festivities throughout the week. The first 1,000 fans through the gates, which open at 5 p.m., will receive an exclusive All-Star Game tumbler, courtesy of Segra! Before the All-Star Game gets underway, watch the best sluggers of the South Atlantic League compete for the title of Home Run Derby champion! The competition starts at 6 p.m. and is sure to provide some fireworks of its own. The Power will return to Appalachian Power Park following the All-Star Break on June 27 to face the Kannapolis Intimidators and Hickory Crawdads. For tickets and more information, call the Power at 304-344-2287 or visit www.wvpower.com.