A’s end skid with 9-2 home win

    The Pratt Drillers came to town at just the right time.
    The A's snapped their five-game skid Thursday against the Walter Johnson Leaguers and avenged a loss earlier in the season by beating the Drillers 9-2 at Cavalier Field.
    A's right fielder Chris Ciesla and first baseman Adam Hamilton each hit home runs in the bottom of the fifth, which made the score 7-0 and put the game out of the Drillers' reach. Hamilton's homer was his second for the night.
    "He's had some good days and some bad days, which is common with a player that redshirted the season before and is still trying to find his way," said A's head coach Phil Stephenson. "Tonight was definitely one of his good nights."
    The A's also got five hitless innings from starting pitcher Drew Mannen in his first start of the season. Reliever Jesse Maldonado pitched the sixth and seventh innings and gave up one hit and one run.
    "We got some good pitching tonight," Stephenson said.
    The A's head coach also used catcher Jeremy Mayo and right fielder Chris Ciesla as late-inning relievers because the A's are currently short in the pitching department.
    Pitcher Lawrence Lasenberry left the team Wednesday for personal reasons, Stephenson said. With starter Jermaine Barksdale still sore in his left shoulder, the staff is particularly thin right now.
    "[Zane] Williams gives us a third option at catcher and another option in the outfield," Stephenson said. "Mayo pitched for us last year, and we'll probably use him and Ciesla in relief when we need them."
    On top of the pitching performances and the hot bats, the A's played solid defense and did not commit an error in the game.
    "First time we've done that in a while," Stephenson said. "And we're capable of playing that type of good defense. We've just got to focus on making the plays we're capable of making."
    Pratt scored one run in the sixth and one more in the top of the ninth, but the Drillers never really threatened the A's hefty lead.
    Max Taylor was back in the A's lineup for the first time since he strained his right hamstring on June 22.
    "Hopefully he'll be full strength by the start of next week," Stephenson said.
    The A's travel to Liberal today to take on the BeeJays in a three-game weekend series. Evan Cunningham will be on the mound for the A's.