Vogelsong powers 'Pigs, earns first win at 'home' in four years

Allentown, PA
it's been a long time since Ryan Vogelsong has been able to read about one of his victories in his native language.

Vogelsong, who returned to the U.S. after playing the last three years in Japan, overcame a rocky start Saturday night to pitch six innings and gain his first win on American soil in four years, and Luis Maza's two-run double highlighted a go-ahead five-run rally in the sixth that carried the IronPigs to a 10-6 win over Indianapolis before the season's first capacity crowd of 10,000 at Coca-Cola Park.

Vogelsong (1-1) allowed a walk, two singles and a sacrifice fly to the first four Indian hitters to fall behind 2-0, but then limited Indianapolis to two runs and five hits over his last 5 2/3 innings. After walking two of the first four batters he faced, giving him 20 in his first 21 innings, the former Kutztown University All-American didn't issue another for the rest of his outing while striking out five.

Vogelsong's last win here in the states came in an Indianapolis uniform when he allowed nine hits and three runs in six innings of a 6-3 win over visiting Louisville on Sept. 1, 2006.

The IronPigs (10-12) trailed 4-2 heading into the home sixth inning but batted around, using four hits, a walk and a hit-batsman to take a 7-4 lead.

Dane Sardinha's ground-rule double brought in Cody Ransom, who opened the inning with a leadoff double, cut the deficit to 4-3, and after pinch-hitter Paul Hoover was hit by a pitch Neil Sellers scored on Rich Thompson's sacrifice fly to shallow right, tying the score at 4-4.

Maza followed with a double into the left field corner to chase in both Sardinha and Hoover and give the IronPigs their first lead. After John Mayberry Jr.'s third hit, a check-swing infield single down the third base line, left runners at the corners, Maza scored on what was ruled a passed ball, capping the inning.

Sardinha, now hitting .414 (12-for-29), followed a double by Sellers and an infield single by Melvin Dorta with his second homer, a drive onto the berm in left center, in the seventh to cap the IronPigs scoring after Brandon Duckworth's shutout inning of relief..

Staked to the early 2-0 lead, Indianapolis left-hander Donnie Veal (1-2) gave it right back when Mayberry followed a one-out walk with his third homer, a blast off the advertising billboard in the visitor's bullpen.

Jose Tabata's RBI single in the second and Pedro Alvarez's run-scoring triple in the fifth gave the Indians their 4-2 lead.

Alvarez, Pittsburgh's top prospect who the Pirates hope develops into their first 40-homer guy on the major league level since Hall of Famer Willie Stargell slugged 44 in 1973, led off the eighth with his sixth homer off Oscar Villareal, and a double by Christopher Dock grad Erik Kratz chased in the Indians final run later in the inning.

Mayberry's three hits give him seven in his last 16 at-bats and pushed his average to .317.

FROM THE MORNING CALL