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SPORTS

Grasshoppers rally to defeat Legends

Monday, September 1, 2008
(Updated 4:54 am)

GREENSBORO -- It's not likely that Greensboro Grasshoppers fans will see Mike Stanton and Matt Dominguez in NewBridge Bank Park in the 2009 season, but they are sure to remember seeing them this season, especially if they go on to bigger and better things.

The two young sluggers, taken in the first (Dominguez) and second (Stanton) rounds of the 2007 draft, had two home runs each and combined to knock in nine of the Grasshoppers' runs in a 10-9 win Sunday. Stanton's second home run was a walk-off, two run shot off Fernando Abad that completed yet another come-from-behind victory.

"I had faced him a couple of times before, and he had gotten the better of me," Stanton said. "It was a changeup (for the home run). The first pitch was a fastball for a strike, and I remembered he never repeated the same pitch."

Dominguez ended up going 4-for-4, with the two round-trippers to go with a double and a single. He is now leading the team with a .300 average and third in home runs despite missing more than 40 games at the beginning of the season because of illness.

"As a hitter you go through slumps and good times. Everything is going good right now," Dominguez said. "I'm really seeing the ball well. I'm feeling strong and I want to finish strong."

Greensboro manager Edwin Rodriguez knows that seeing the combination of the two hitters was a rare occurrence.

"That made my season right there, watching those two," Rodriguez said. "It's just fun to watch. The scary part is (with Stanton) there is still so much work he can do on his swing."

The Grasshoppers got the fireworks started early. After giving up a run in the top of the first, Greensboro bounced back in the bottom half of the frame. Emilio Ontiveros singled and then Stanton had an infield single with a hard shot off Lexington pitcher Jeff Icenogle's shin. Dominguez followed with his 17th home run of the season, giving Greensboro a 3-1 lead.

The Legends struck back immediately in the top of the second. Grasshoppers starter Jose Rosario walked the first batter and continued to have trouble finding the strike zone. He walked two more batters before a single by Chris Jackson knocked in two runs to give the Legends a 4-3 lead.

Lexington added to the lead in the fourth and fifth innings. The Legends scored in the fourth after a Dominguez error and added another run on a triple by Jackson that was just over the head of Stanton.

A solo home run by Kyle Miller in the fifth pushed the lead back to 7-4.

Dominguez atoned for his error in the bottom of the fifth inning when he hit his second homer of the game, this time a two-run shot, cutting the lead to 7-6. But Kris Harvey came in to pitch in the seventh inning and gave up an infield single and three walks to force in a run.

After Harvey was lifted for Peter Andrelczyk, the Legends got one more run home on a groundout to give them a three-run cushion at 9-6.

The Hoppers got two runs back in the seventh inning on a two-run home run by Stanton. It was Stanton's 37th home run of the season. But Greensboro left the tying run on third base in the bottom of the eighth when Ryan Curry flied out to shallow right field to end the threat.

LEXINGTON GREENSBORO

AB R H BI AB R H BI
Corrado 2b 4 1 1 1 Curry 2b 5 1 1 0
Jackson 3b 5 2 4 2 Ontiveros 2b 5 3 3 0
Taylor 1b 4 1 1 0 Stanton cf 4 4 3 4
Pellegrini lf 4 0 1 1 Domingz 3b 4 2 4 5
Miller dh 4 1 1 2 Mense lf 4 0 0 1
Barnes cf-rf 4 1 0 1 Anetsbrgr 1b 4 0 0 0
Priday rf 4 1 0 0 Jacobs rf 3 0 0 0
Henson c 3 2 0 0 Belcher c 3 0 2 0
B.Brown ss 2 0 0 1 Martinez dh 4 0 1 0
TOTALS 34 9 8 8 TOTALS 36 10 14 10

E--Rosario (1). DP--Lexington 1. LOB--Lexington 8, Greensboro 5. 2B--Dominguez. 3B--Jackson (1). HR--Miller (7), Dominguez 2 (18), Stanton 2 (38). SB--Jackson (4). SH--B. Brown, Belcher. SF--B. Brown.

Lexington

130 210 200 -- 9
Greensboro 301 020 202 -- 10

Abad pitched to two batters in the 9th. Harvey pitched to four batters in the 7th.

WP--Tilghmanm Rosario, Harvey. HBP--by Caminero (Henson). Umpires--Home, Dormaier. Base, Alvarez.

T--2:55. A--6,558.

Lexington

ip h r er bb so
Icenogle 6 5 1 1 0 6
Robinson 12/3 4 2 2 0 0
Tilghman 11/3 0 0 0 1 1
Abad L, 2-7 0 2 2 2 0 0
Greensboro ip h r er bb so
Rosario 2 3 4 3 3 4
Caminero 3 2 3 1 0 3
Harvey 1 1 2 2 3 1
Andrelczyk 12/3 2 0 0 0 2
Battisto W, 8-1 11/3 1 0 0 0 2

FINAL HOME GAME

Who: Lexington Legends at Greensboro Grasshoppers

What: The Hoppers' final game of the 2008 season will be at 12:30 p.m. today at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro. General admission tickets are $1, and hot dogs and drinks are also priced at $1.

Information: Call 268-2255 or go online to www.gsohoppers.com

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