Homers help Clippers gain split

A two-run home run by Richie Shaffer and a three-run shot by Chris Colabello in the first inning fueled an 8-1 rout of the Charlotte Knights as the Clippers split a doubleheader Saturday before 9,205 at Huntington Park.

The Knights hit three homers in a 6-3 victory in the first game.

In the second game, the Clippers jumped on Knights pitcher Chris Volstad (0-1) with five runs in the first inning. Shaffer, a Charlotte native, followed a one-out single by Yandy Diaz with a two-run homer, his fifth of the season, on a shot to right field. Erik Gonzalez and Ronny Rodriguez each singled to set up Colabello, whose three-run home run to right field made it 5-0. It was Colabello's third homer of the season.

Bradley Zimmer and Gonzalez blasted solo home runs in the fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the sixth, Zimmer led off with a double and took third on a Diaz groundout. After Shaffer struck out, Tyler Naquin singled to center to make it 8-1.

Jeff Johnson (1-0) pitched two innings of relief for the victory.

Volstad was tagged for six earned runs on nine hits in four innings.

In the first game, former Cleveland Indians player Ryan Raburn, who signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox earlier this month, broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth with a solo homer off Ryan Merritt (2-2). Nicky Delmonico extended the lead to 6-3 with a two-run homer off Merritt in the seventh.

Merritt, who pitched 6 innings of relief, allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Knights reliever Brad Goldberg (1-1) picked up the win, pitching 1

innings. Zack Burdi notched his third save.

Charlotte's Willy Garcia hit a two-run homer in the first inning off pitcher Mike Clevinger, who didn't make it out of the first inning. Garcia added an RBI double in the third to make it 3-0.

The Clippers' Erik Kratz smacked a solo homer in the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-1.

In the fifth, the Gonzalez led off with a single and scored on a double by Diaz. Two outs later, Giovanny Urshela lined a single to center field to drive in Diaz and tie it at 3-3.

Gonzalez went 5 for 9 in the doubleheader.

The Clippers conclude their three-game homestand with Charlotte at 2:05 p.m. today.