University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville's Ty Wigginton Ties Devil Rays Record with 8 Straight Hits
07.18.2007 | Baseball
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Ty Wigginton insists he hasn't changed a thing. Eight straight hits suggest otherwise.
Wigginton, who played at UNC Asheville from 1996-98, went 4-for-4 for the second straight game, tying a Tampa Bay record for hits in consecutive plate appearances, and helping the struggling Devil Rays beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-3 on Tuesday night.
"I've been doing the same thing I've been doing all year," said Wigginton, who was mired in a 1-for-21 skid at Tropicana Field before pulling out of the slump with four hits during a loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday.
He drove in one run against the Angels with a fifth-inning single off Ervin Santana (5-11) and another with a single off Chris Bootcheck in the seventh to match the eight straight hits Aubrey Huff had for the Devil Rays from Sept. 22-24, 2004.
"Honestly, it doesn't mean much," Wigginton said of tying the club record. "When you get done playing, I guess maybe you can look back on all this stuff and see some of your accomplishments."
James Shields (8-5) allowed seven hits and two runs in seven innings for Tampa Bay, which won for only the third time in 19 games -- a stretch that has the last-place team on pace for another 100-loss season.
Santana, who has lost a career-worst five straight decisions over six starts, allowed seven runs and a career-high 14 hits -- 12 singles -- in six innings.
B.J. Upton and Delmon Young had RBI singles in the second inning to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead, Carlos Pena's two-run double snapped a 2-2 tie and was the biggest blow off Santana during a five-run fifth, and Wigginton followed with his seventh straight hit to make it 5-2.
The 8-for-8 streak raised Wigginton's batting average from .264 to .281.
"His at-bats have been better. I think he has been laying off bad pitches and swinging at strikes again," Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "I just think he's been more patient, getting better pitches. And when he sees his pitch, he's not missing right now."
