Fort Worth Cats 14, El Paso Diablos 3

The victory kept the Cats in a first-place tie with Grand Prairie with two games to go in the season’s second half.

Shortstop Paul Bartolucci had two hits and three runs batted in as the Fort Worth Cats trounced El Paso 14-3 on Thursday night at Cohen Stadium.

The victory kept the Cats in a first-place tie with Grand Prairie with two games to go in the season’s second half.

fwcats.com

Paul Bartolucci

The Cats got a run in the first inning as Brian Fryer led off the game with a double and came in to score on a wild pitch by El Paso starter Adam Blackley. Fort Worth added two more runs in the second inning as Bartolucci collected his first two RBIs in a Cats’ uniform with a two-run double to right scoring Charles Carter and Ken Lup.

In the sixth inning, the Cats added to their lead, getting consecutive RBI singles from Bartolucci and Marco Garza. Later in the inning, Ed Montague delivered a two-run double and Nelson Teilon contributed an RBI single for an 8-0 Cats lead.

El Paso would get on the board twice in the sixth inning, but the Cats would score six more times in the seventh to break it open. Montague picked up his third RBI of the game with an infield single. Pat O’Sullivan walked with the bases loaded, Teilon had an RBI single and then two runs scored on an error by the Diablos’ shortstop Willie James. Lup was hit with the bases loaded to cap the scoring in the seventh, a six-run frame for a 14-2 lead.

Montague finished the game 3-for-6 with three RBIs; Garza and Lup each added three hits and an RBI, pacing the Cats’ 18-hit attack. It was the fourth time this season the Cats have had 18 hits in a game.

Matt Reilly (2-3) was awarded the win as the most effective reliever. He went 2 1/3 scoreless innings out of the Cats’ bullpen to get the win after Joel Kirsten started and went his scheduled three innings in preparation for his start in next week’s playoff series against Grand Prairie. Kirsten allowed no runs on two hits in three innings pitched.

Adam Blackley (7-9) took the loss as he permitted six runs, five earned in five innings pitched.

The Cats and Diablos play again on Friday night at 8:05 p.m. CDT from El Paso. Dan Grybash (7-5) goes for the Cats with the former Cat Josh Neitz on the hill for the Diablos.

Source: Fort Worth Cats