Alex Delgado Walks off Wild Win for Edenton

July 15, 2013 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Edenton Steamers News Release


EDENTON, N.C - In a wild 10-inning contest Alex Delgado put Edenton (26-8, 6-2) in the win column with an RBI single in the bottom of the tenth to give the Steamers an 8-7 come-from-behind victory over the Peninsula Pilots (21-15, 7-2) at Historic Hicks Field on Sunday night.

Connor Cuff (University of Pennsylvania) made his sixth start of the season for the Steamers against Alex Regan, who made his fourth start and sixth appearance overall.

Cuff battled through his three innings of work, showing none of his usual consistency. He worked a quick, one, two, three top of the first but ran into trouble in the second inning. With two outs he hit Jordan Negrini who stole second base. Josh Silver knocked him in with an RBI double for a 1-0 Pilot lead. Back-to-back walks ensued to load the bases and then Patrick Grady walked to force a run home for a 2-0 lead. Cuff hit Bradon Reitano to force home the third run of the inning and Peninsula took a 3-0 lead.

Cuff's final line was three innings pitched, two hits allowed, three runs, five walks and two strikeouts.

He did not earn a decision for his effort.

Edenton put runners on base in all four plus innings that Regan pitched but had two rallies cut down by double play balls until finally breaking through in the bottom of the fourth. John Williams (George Mason University) began the game as the designated hitter, and singled in his only at-bat, but Steamer head coach Bryan Hill pulled Adam Kirsch into the game as a pinch hitter in the fourth. After a Trent Miller (Middle Tennessee State University) lead-off single Kirsch plowed his third home run of the season to cut the Pilot lead to 3-2. After the home run Edenton put runners on second and third with nobody out and could not score another run, having three straight batters retired, one by strikeout and two by foul outs to end the rally.

Rohn Pierce (Canisius College) came into the game and pitched three and two-thirds innings of scoreless baseball in relief of Cuff to keep Edenton in the ball game. He allowed three hits, one walk and he struck out five Pilots during his time in the game.

The score remained 3-2 Pilots until the top of the eighth inning. Andrew Nelson (St. Catharine College) began the inning with a lead-off walk to Matt Dickason. Garrett Brooks laid down a bunt and moved Dickason up 90 feet before Grady took a walk and Reitano put one over the left field fence for a three-run home run to push the lead to 6-2 Pilots. Jake McCoy (College of the Desert) came in and retired the final batter of the eighth to end the rally. Nelson pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed one hit, three runs, three walks and he hit a batter.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth and the Pilots up 6-2, Kirsch reached on an infield single and Nick Thompson (East Carolina University) blasted his team-leading sixth home run of the season off Pilots pitcher Brett Harris over the centerfield wall to cut the Pilot lead to 6-4. For Thompson it was RBIs 24 and 25 on the season.

Harris entered the game in relief of Regan with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Regan's final line was four and one-third innings pitched, seven hits allowed, two runs (both earned), one walk and one strikeout. Regan also did not earn a decision for his effort.

Peninsula added an insurance run in the top of the ninth against McCoy when he hit Negrini to begin the inning.

Negrini eventually scored on a Brooks RBI single to make it 7-4 Pilots heading to the bottom of the ninth.

Sam Bumpers (Lamar University) led the inning off with a walk against Grayson Bailey, who entered in the bottom of the ninth to close out the Pilot victory. After an Alex Delgado (Emmanuel College) strikeout, Dominic Fratantuono (Towson University) walked followed by a Chase Harris (University of New Mexico) strike out. Pilots head coach Hank Morgan went back to the bullpen and brought in Blair Betts to face Tyler Eager, who entered the game defensively for an injured Laz Villa (Reedley College) in the top of the seventh inning. Eager laced a two-run double down the third base line for 7-6 score and Trent Miller doubled home Eager to tie the game at seven and set the stage for Delgado's heroics.

McCoy pitched a scoreless, perfect tenth inning and Edenton loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning.

With one out Delgado came up and lined a game winning single into centerfield, scoring Kirsch from third, who walked, for an 8-7 Steamer win.

McCoy earned the win, improving to 5-0 on the season and Betts took the loss falling to 1-1 on the season.

Harris and Fratantuono both picked up outfield assists in the contest, Harris throwing out Negrini trying to stretch a single into a double in the fifth and Fratantuono nailing Dickason at the plate in the top of the sixth.

The game featured six total errors (four by Peninsula, two by Edenton), 15 runs, 20 hits, 20 runners left on base, five different players thrown out on the base paths, including two pick-offs, and two at the plate, six total hit batsman (five by the Steamers, one by Peninsula) and four double plays.

Edenton improved to 26-8 and 6-2 in the second half and trails the Pilots, who fell to 21-15 and 7-2 in the second half, by only a half game for the second half East Division lead. The Steamers improve to 6-2 on the season against the Pilots and now cannot lose the tie breaker. After an off day on Monday Edenton is back in action Tuesday, July 16th at home, welcoming in the Fayetteville SwampDogs for a double header.

The Edenton Steamers are a proud member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 17th season in 2013, the CPL features 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts.

Furthermore, the CPL has had over 1,000 alumni drafted and 63 alums - including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander -make their Major League debut thus far. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to friend us on Facebook (at www.facebook.com/coastalplainleague) and follow us via Twitter (as cplbaseball).



Coastal Plain League Stories from July 15, 2013


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