Santeliz sparks Hogs to 3-1 win

Starting pitcher Clevelan Santeliz of the Winston-Salem Warthogs, a raw 21-year-old with plenty of emotion, pleaded his case after pitching five strong innings last night.

Santeliz tried to convince Manager Tim Blackwell and pitching coach Brian Drahman that he could keep going. But sticking to a pitch count that stood at 86, Santeliz was removed in what turned out to be a 3-1 win over the Frederick Keys.

"Oh yeah, he wanted to stay in, but all the starters are like that; they never want to leave a game," said Drahman, who saw his bullpen also pitch effectively. "But we have to look at the long run and it's a long season and you don't want to get hurt here. He gave a good effort and was effectively wild, but he's getting the job done."

The energetic Santeliz then refused to sit still the rest of the game. He made the walk to the clubhouse down the first-base line after his five innings, but he didn't last long there. He made his way back to the dugout an inning later to watch the rest of the game.

"I wanted to stay in, but I got up in my pitch count," said Santeliz, who started the season at Class AA Birmingham but suffered some shoulder problems that brought him down to Winston-Salem.

"This was only my fifth start here (for the Warthogs), so I have to do what they want."

Santeliz, who threw 29 pitches in the first inning to work out of his first jam, seemingly pitched on the side of a cliff for all five of his innings. In the fourth and fifth, the first two batters reached base, but he calmly pitched out of both jams.

In the fourth he helped himself by hustling to first base to complete a double play after first baseman Brandon Allen made a nice pickup of a grounder. Allen fired to second for the first out and the relay to Santeliz at first completed the double play to end the threat.

In the fifth Chris Vinyard singled and Brandon Tripp doubled, but Santeliz struck out Brandon Synder and got two infield pop-ups to end another threat.

Blackwell loved Drahman's assessment of Santeliz.

"As long as he's effective in something he does," Blackwell said. "That's the whole thing on him. He's a real excitable guy and he sometimes lets his emotions take over, so keeping him focused is the goal. He's got good stuff and it's just what are you going to do with that good stuff?"

The Keys also got solid pitching from starter Jake Renshaw, whose only bad inning was the third. The Warthogs strung together four straight hits to take a 3-0 lead. Renshaw pitched six innings and by comparison to Santeliz, only needed 67 pitches in a game that lasted a little more than two hours.

The big hit in the inning was a perfect hit-and-run double from Paulo Orlando that scored Francisco Hernandez and Joe Persichina. Orlando later scored on a C.J. Retherford single, but Retherford was rubbed out trying to advance to second on the throw to the plate.

Santeliz allowed four hits and three walks. He had three strikeouts in improving to 2-2.

"I just tried to make some good pitches," Santeliz said. "When you have the eight guys behind me like that, you have to make the pitches count."

The Warthogs and Kinston are 8-5 in the second half and tied for first place in the Carolina League's Southern Division.

Helping preserve Santeliz' victory were relievers Matt Zaleski, who pitched two scoreless innings, and Henry Mabee, who gave up one run in the eighth. An outstanding defensive play that ended the eighth inning helped the Warthogs along.

With two runners on and two outs, left fielder Chris Amador, a former Warthog, hit a double off the wall that scored Synder. But a perfect relay from center fielder Orlando to shortstop Greg Paiml to catcher Hernandez nailed Billy Rowell at the plate. For some reason, Rowell didn't slide on the play and Hernandez made a quick tag to end the inning.

In the ninth, closer Kanekoa Texeira came in and got his 17th save with a perfect inning.

Blackwell said that for first time all season the Warthogs were coming off a trip in which they went .500 (3-3). By starting this homestand with a win, he hopes that momentum will carry over.

"We are making a trip to the (Brenner's) children's hospital in the morning," Blackwell said. "And that will be nice for them to get out in the community like that and then will come back here for another game (tonight)."

For tonight's second game of the three-game series, Anthony Carter (1-2) will start for the Warthogs against Brandon Erbe (6-7).

■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.

FRED. ab r h bi W-S ab r h bi

Dvison 2b 5 0 1 0 Orlndo cf 4 1 1 2

McCrthy ss 4 0 1 0 Rthrfrd 3b 3 0 1 1

Dillon c 4 0 0 0 Allen 1b 3 0 0 0

Vnyrd dh 2 0 1 0 Bnvcho dh 3 0 0 0

Tripp rf 4 0 2 0 Snchz rf 3 0 1 0

Snydr 1b 4 1 1 0 Harris lf 3 0 0 0

Rwell 3b 3 0 0 0 Paiml ss 3 0 1 0

Amadr lf 3 0 1 1 Hrndez c 3 1 1 0

Fguroa cf 4 0 1 0 Prshna 2b 2 1 1 0

Totals 33 1 8 1 Totals 35 3 6 3

Frederick 000 000 010 -- 1


Win.-Salem 003 000 00x -- 3

E--Paiml. DP--Frederick 1, Winston-Salem 1. LOB--Frederick 10, Winston-Salem 7. 2B--Tripp, Snyder, Amador, Sanchez, Orlando. SB--Sanchez. CS--Davison.

Frederick IP H R ER BB SO

Renshaw L,7-8 6 4 0 0 1 5

Moore 1 0 0 0 0 0

Martinez 1 0 0 0 0 0

Winston-Salem IP H R ER BB SO

Santeliz W,2-2 5 4 0 0 3 3

Zaleski 2 2 0 0 0 2

Mabee 1 2 1 1 1 1

Texeira S,17 1 0 0 0 0 2

WP--Mabee. HBP--by Zaleski (McCarthy). T--2:16. A--1,045.