Catfish Drop Series to Asheville

The Columbus Catfish allowed four runs in the eighth inning to allow the Asheville Tourists to take a 9-6 win.

Entering the eighth inning with a one-run lead, reliver Miguel Sanfler walked the first four batters he face, then threw his second and third wild pitch of the inning, then allowed a single, resulting in Asheville scoring four runs and and taking the win.

The loss drops the Catfish to 11-and-12, seven ½ games behind division-leading Rome.

Good news for the Catfish off the field. Sort of. Pitcher Brent Leach was named SAL pitcher of the week:

South Atlantic League
Brent Leach, Columbus
1 G, 1 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 14 SO, 0 SV

At first glance, Leach's weekly totals don't seem like much: just one five-inning start in which he allowed two unearned runs on two hits. He didn't even earn a victory. But then you get to the strikeout column: 14. That's right, of the 15 outs Leach recorded in his start against Asheville on Friday, all but one was a strikeout. Now that's Pitcher of the Week material.

The Catfish hit the road for an eight-game trip. Tomorrow night, they play the Augusta Greenjackets in the first of four, then head to Kannapolis, NC for four games against the Intimidators.