Darin Ruf's Three Hits Carry Threshers Over Manatees

The Threshers won back to back games for the first time in a month, defeating the Brevard County Manatees 4-1 Monday (July 4).

The Threshers were lead at the plate by Darin Ruf and on the mound by Julio Rodriguez.

Darin Ruf improved his batting average to .296 with a 3 for 4 night. The 24 year old first basemen/DH is in his third season of professional ball after staring at Creighton. Although his frame suggests he would hit a lot of home-runs, 6'3" 215 pounds, he is more of a line drive hitter.

In his junior year at Creighton he lead the team with a .347 batting average. Ruf was drafted in the 20th round of the First-Year Player Draft by the Phillies in 2009. In that same year, he batted .307 between the Gulf Coast League and the New York Penn League. In 2010 he began the year in Lakewood but played the majority of the season in Clearwater where he hit .277 with five homers. His two doubles on Monday give him 28 on the season which leads the Florida State League.

The 20 year old Rodriguez improved his record to 9-6 , going 5 2/3 innings allowing only one run on five hits. The Threshers bullpen, Jordan Whatcott and Eric Pettis, gave up just one hit the remainder of the game.

On deck: The Threshers and Manatees resume their four game series, Tuesday (July 5) in Brevard County.

Notes: The GC Phillies fell to the GC Braves 4-2, dropping their record to 8-5 on the season. Centerfielder, Peter Lavin, from Monteballo, California, was 3 for 5 at the plate with a run scored.

Justin Friend has given up just one hit in his last four appearances in AA. The 25 year old, was the Threshers closer until being called up to Reading AA just before the All-Star break.