=== Laird leads PCL to All-Star victory === Sacramento, CA (My Sportsbook) - Gerald Laird belted a grand slam and Matt Watson added a two-run shot to lift the Pacific Coast League to an 11-5 victory over the International League in the Triple-A All-Star Game at Raley Field. Laird, a member of the Oklahoma RedHawks, went 2-for-3 in the game, while Watson of the hometown Sacramento RiverCats finished 1-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Jeff Liefer of the Buffalo Bisons hit a two-run homer for the International League and Louisville's Edwin Encarnacion added a solo blast. Chris Gissell of the Memphis Redbirds threw two innings to get the victory. Jason Scobie was handed the loss after yielding five runs in his one inning of work. The International League took a brief 1-0 lead on John-Ford Griffin's sacrifice fly in the top of the first, but the PCL answered with five runs in the bottom half. Conor Jackson tied the game at 1-1 with and RBI single and Laird later delivered his blast over the wall in left to make it 5-1. Encarnacion hit a solo homer for the IL in the second, but two runs scored on Andy Green's double in the bottom half to make it 7-2. The score remained that way until the PCL added four more runs in the sixth inning. Watson's blast over the wall in left-center keyed the inning and gave the PCL the 11-2 cushion. The International League scored a run in the seventh on Chris Coste's sacrifice fly and cut it to 11-5 on Liefer's homer in the eighth. |
