IronPigs shutout Knights 1-0

Charlotte Knights shortstop Leury Garcia stood on third base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, representing the tying run.

But he would advance no further, as was the tale for the Knights in their 1-0 loss to Lehigh Valley on Saturday night at BB&T BallPark. Charlotte only recorded four hits in the game, and no runner advanced past first base besides Garcia in the ninth inning.

Lehigh Valley starting pitcher Anthony Vasquez kept the Knights off balance at the plate throughout the night, pitching eight shutout innings and striking out five batters.

Charlotte starting pitcher Erik Johnson pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the fourth inning, but the IronPigs eventually struck three innings later.

With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Jayson Nix lined a 3-1 pitch over the left-field wall to give the IronPigs a 1-0 lead. Johnson struck out the next batter, but the damage was done.

Quote

“(Anthony Vasquez) changed speeds, kept the ball down and he pitched inside. He did everything you would want to see from a starting pitcher from the standpoint of keeping guys off balance. He pitched great, and our guy (Erik Johnson) just gave up one home run, so hats off to the both of them. It’s just too bad one of them had to lose. We were just on the wrong end of a 1-0 game.” - Charlotte manager Joel Skinner on Lehigh Valley starting pitcher Anthony Vasquez.

Worth mentioning

With two hits on Saturday, Leury Garcia has recorded 13 hits over his past eight games. Garcia is batting .305 on the year and .337 in the month of May. ... Saturday’s shutout loss was the third of the season for the Knights and the first at BB&T BallPark this year. ... Charlotte RHP Brad Penny (3-3, 4.67) was placed on the DL on Saturday after suffering a leg injury during the fourth inning of his start on Friday. The injury occurred when Penny was covering first base, and he limped down the first-base line before gingerly walking off the field.

What’s next?

The Knights will play the final game of their three-game series with the IronPigs on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. RHP Scott Carroll (1-2, 2.25) is slated to pitch for Charlotte. He was officially added to the Knights active roster on Saturday after being optioned to Charlotte from Chicago on Thursday. The starter for Lehigh Valley is TBA.

This story was originally published May 30, 2015 at 10:30 PM with the headline "IronPigs shutout Knights 1-0."