NYPL Hudson Valley Renegades

Renegades Streak Snapped 8-3 by Yanks

Published on August 27, 2012 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Hudson Valley Renegades News Release


STATEN ISLAND (Monday, August 27): The Hudson Valley Renegades saw their nine game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Staten Island Yankees. The Yankees defeated the Renegades by the score of 8-3 in front of 1,253 fans at Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George. The Renegades (46-21) drew first blood but couldn't hang on against the host Yankees (25-41), ending their season-best winning streak at nine games. Hudson Valley's magic number to clinch a playoff spot remains at one game, with Batavia rained out Monday.

The 'Gades cracked the scoreboard first in the top of the first inning. Center fielder Marty Gantt drew a leadoff walk, and swiped second on Staten Island starter Evan Rutckyj (5-5). Gantt moved up to third on a passed ball, and came home on a soft ground out to second by second baseman Tommy Coyle, making it 1-0 Renegades.

The Yankees evened the score in the bottom of the second inning. Ravel Santana lined a leadoff single to center against Hudson Valley starter Matt Spann (3-5), and moved to second on a ground out to the right side. Matt Duran pounded a one-out double into the left-center field gap to score Santana and tie the ballgame at 1-1.

Staten Island took the lead for good in the bottom of the third. Taylor Dugas led off with a single to center, and advanced to second on a walk by Claudio Custodio. With one out, Spann spun a wild pitch that moved the runners to second and third. Spann managed to whiff Santana for the second out, and the Renegades elected to intentionally walk Greg Bird to load the bases and pitch to Duran. The third baseman from New Rochelle worked a walk to score Dugas and give Staten Island a 2-1 lead. Spann fanned Jose Rosario to end the threat in that inning.

The Yanks blew the game wide open in the bottom of the fourth. Daniel Lopez lined a single to center to lead off, and Isaias Tejeda and Dugas drew back-to-back walks behind him to load the bases. Custodio hit a nubber up the third base line that was just soft enough to die before third baseman Felix Gonzalez could get to it. Lopez scored, and everyone advanced safely to keep the bases loaded.

That was all for Spann, who departed in favor of reliever Rob Finneran. The righty walked Peter O'Brien to score Tejeda, keeping the bases loaded. Finneran worked pop outs from the next two batters to bring up Duran. The third baseman came through again for Staten Island, mashing a double off the left-field wall to clear the bases and score all three runners. The Renegades exited the inning trailing 7-1.

Hudson Valley made up a bit of ground in the top of the seventh. First baseman Michael Williams sliced a one-out single to right, and moved to second on a wild pitch from reliever Alex Smith. Right fielder Charles Epperson bounced out to the shortstop, advancing Williams to third on the play. Smith fired another wild pitch with Gonzalez at the plate, and Williams raced home to score and cut the lead to 7-2.

Staten Island tacked on another run in the bottom of the eighth against Renegades reliever Kris Carlson. Lopez picked up a leadoff single on a bouncer up the middle, and Tejeda lined his own single to center to put runners on first and second with no outs. Dugas bounced into a 6-3 double play, moving Lopez over to third base. Custodio shot a grounder through the middle for an RBI single, scoring Lopez and running the lead to 8-2.

The Renegades made their final charge in the top of the ninth against Yankees reliever Evan DeLuca. Left fielder Joel Caminero led off with a single through the middle, and catcher Jake DePew drew a walk to put runners on first and second with nobody out. After a pop-out by Williams, DeLuca fired a wild pitch that moved the runners to second and third. Epperson tapped a ground out to Custodio at short that scored Caminero and cut the deficit to 8-3. But Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the ballgame and the Hudson Valley winning streak.

Spann took the loss, with six runs allowed on six hits and five walks over three innings; he struck out five. Finneran allowed a run on one hit and one walk over two innings against one strikeout, letting all three runners he inherited score. Alex Moshier was flawless in his Hudson Valley debut, going two perfect innings with one strikeout. Carlson allowed a run on three hits against one strikeout in his lone inning of action.

Rutckyj gave up just one run (unearned) on two hits and three walks in five innings, whiffing two. Smith allowed a run on one hit against one strikeout over two innings, tossing two wild pitches. Stefan Lopez threw a scoreless inning, with one hit allowed against two strikeouts. DeLuca allowed a run on one hit and one walk in his lone inning, striking out one.

The Renegades will try to get back on the winning track Tuesday against Staten Island, with Hudson Valley righty Jeff Ames taking the ball against Yankees righty Andrew Benak. It's Bobblection Night at the Dutch! Fans can place their vote before the foul poles close for our 2012 Bobblelection. Can the Hudson Valley Renegades fans go 3 for 3 in choosing the next president? They correctly predicted George W. Bush in 2004, then Barack Obama in 2008. Who will win this year's Bobblelection as chosen by our fans? Be one of the first 1000 fans to choose their candidate and predict this November's winner. Gates open at 5:30 so be there early to cast your vote. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 with Ben Gellman's pregame show set for 6:50 pm. on 1450 and 1370 AM WKIP, as well as online at HVRenegades.com.

Great seats are still available for all of the remaining Renegades regular season games, and playoff tickets are also now on sale. Call the ticket office 845-838-0094 for information or go to www.hvrenegades.com !

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New York-Penn League Stories from August 27, 2012


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