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CarL1 Salem Red Sox

Rizzo's three-run jack not enough as Sox fall 4-3

July 27, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


Salem, VA (July 27, 2009) - The Red Sox finally scored on earned run against Zach Britton. In fact, they scored three on one sixth-inning swing from Anthony Rizzo. But in the end, Britton recorded 17 outs via the ground ball in a season-high seven and two thirds innings to propel the Keys past the Red Sox 4-3. Rizzo's two-out, three-run bomb in the sixth served to tie the game at three, but Frederick's Ryan Adams responded with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning that gave the Keys a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish.

Frederick took an early lead with an unearned run in the first off Red Sox starter Eammon Portice. Robbie Widlansky's double plated Matt Angle, who reached on an error by second-baseman Zach Borowiak to open the last of the first. In the second, Adams led off with a solo homer to make it 2-0. Later in the inning, Angle singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out single from Pedro Florimon. Just like that, the Keys were up 3-0.

After the early struggles, however, Portice settled in, retiring the final 10 batters he faced by finishing the second and recording perfect frames in the third, fourth, and fifth. Portice left after five innings, surrendering two earned runs (three total) on four hits in five innings. He did not walk anyone and struck out three, bringing his season strikeout total to 100, tied for most in the league.

Portice's co-leader at the top of the Carolina League K chart was his foe on Monday night. Britton preserved the Keys' early lead by continuing the dominance that had subdued the Red Sox offense throughout the season. In his first three starts against the Sox, Salem scored zero earned runs in the 18 innings that Britton toed the rubber. The lack of offense persisted into the sixth inning, but back-to-back singles from Borowiak and Daniel Nava set the stage for Rizzo. With two outs in the sixth, Rizzo belted a deep line drive that cleared the right-field wall to tie the game at three. Suddenly, Rizzo's second homer of the season had proven that Britton was human.

But when the Keys' plated another go-ahead tally off Red Sox reliever Armando Zerpa in the bottom of the sixth, Frederick would close the door. Britton pitched around an error in the seventh and recorded two outs in the eighth before giving way to Ryan Rodriguez. Though Derrick Loop struck out the side in the eighth inning to keep the Sox close, Frederick's closer earned his fourth save by striking out Rizzo to end the eighth and pitching around another Keys' error in the ninth to take the opener of the three-game set.

Both Nava and Rizzo finished 2-4 for Salem, while Angle and Adams each finished with multiple hits for Frederick. Zerpa absorbed the loss, falling to 0-1, while Britton once again got the better of the Sox to improve to 7-4.

Having dropped one-game below .500 at 49-50, the Red Sox look to even their record in their 100th game of the 2009 season on Tuesday night. Stephen Fife, fresh off his first Carolina League victory, makes his third start for the Sox. He will be opposed by Rick Zagone in a 7:00 start at Harry Grove Stadium.

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