After a 5-1 week that saw the Pulaski River Turtles soar into second place in the East Division, right-handed pitcher Paco Hernandez and catcher/infielder Ryan Johnson were honored as the Appalachian League Pitcher and Player of the Week respectively.
Hernandez tossed a seven-inning, complete-game shutout in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Princeton. The right-hander scattered three hits and struck out seven, lowering his season ERA to a league-best 2.53.
Hernandez has appeared in seven games this season and is 2-1 with 22 strikeouts in 21.1 innings pitched. The Oklahoma State pitcher has allowed a league-low 17 hits this season.
Johnson batted .500 (9-for-18) on the week, hitting three home runs and driving in 10 runs. The catcher started the week with a two-hit game Wednesday against Danville, driving in a pair of runs in the 9-2 win.
Johnson, who plays collegiately at Pepperdine, followed that performance with two consecutive three-hit games. He homered and drove in three runs Friday against Kingsport before homering twice and driving in five runs Saturday against Princeton. Johnson’s four homers rank third in the league.
