Rangers Bats Show up for Opening Day Victory

The 2011 season got off to a great start for the Rangers as they defeated the Ohio Mariners 22-10 in eight innings at Rotary Park on Sunday, April 10.

The newest member of the MVABL Hall of Fame, Shawn Schmitt, got the Opening Day nod for the Rangers, his first since 2005. Despite one bad inning, Shawn was able to go six innings and struck out 10, the 8^th time Schmitt has reached double-digit strikeout totals in a game. In registering the first win of the new season, Shawn ties fellow Hall of Fame honoree Tony Walters (Astros) with the most career MVABL wins (31). And he did so in his 100^th career game pitched. One other notable stat…with a strikeout of former Rangers catcher Shane Fallen, Shawn recorded his 500^th career strikeout.

The Rangers got on the board in the bottom of the first inning as the first five batters reached base off of Mariners’ starter Chris Ranstead. Josh Cawein doubled in a run and Jonmarc Lippincott doubled in two more, as the Rangers jumped to an early 4-0 lead. Meeko Gomez picked up his first career RBI in the second; Lippincott singled in two more, and Jelani Arnold added an RBI double to give the Rangers 9-0 advantage. The Mariners answered in the top of the third with a pair of runs with the help of an RBI double by Ranstead and a run-scoring single by Matt Piskor.

The wheels fell off in the top of the fourth as the Mariners sent 12 men to the plate and tied the game at 9-9, highlighted by a home run by Gabe Thomas. Schmitt got back on track in the fifth by striking out the side, and giving the home team the opportunity to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning. In the fifth, James Robinson doubled home Lippincott and Zach Carroll singled in another run to give the Rangers an 11-9 lead. The Mariners added their final tally on an opposite field solo home run by Ranstead in the top of the sixth. Cawein singled in two runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 13-10 score.

The Rangers blew the game open in the seventh inning, scoring 7 times on 6 hits. Jelani led off with a triple and scored on a mishandled fielder’s choice. Schmitt doubled home a run. Becker plated a couple on a fielding error. Ben Schooler had a sac fly. Aaron Armstrong singled and Joe Staten doubled before scoring on Lippincott’s 2-run double. The Rangers completed the run-rule in the 8^th as Robinson walked, Schmitt singled, Carroll singled home Robinson, Becker reached on an error, and Armstrong blooped a single over the second baseman to plate the deciding run.

Zach Carroll made his Rangers debut on the mound in the 7^th inning and held the Mariners hitless over two innings of work.

Offensive highlights: Jonmarc Lippincott 4-for-5, 2 doubles, 6RBI; Joe Staten 3-for-5, 4 runs, double; Meeko Gomez 2-for-5, 2 runs, RBI; Josh Cawein 2-for-4, 3RBI, double; Jelani Arnold 2-for-5, double, triple, 2 runs; James Robinson 2-for-4, 2 runs, double; Shawn Schmitt 2-for-4, double, 2 runs, 2 SB; Zach Carroll 3-for-5, 2RBI, SB; Aaron Armstrong 3-for-5, RBI, 2 runs.

Historical Notes: James Robinson needs 6 more hits to get 200 career hits. Joe Staten needs 2 more at-bats to reach 500 career.