Beach Bums Rally and Hold Off Rockford For Third Straight Win
Published on August 29, 2007 under Frontier League (FL)
Traverse City Beach Bums News Release
TRAVERSE CITY, MI - The Traverse City Beach Bums overcame an early deficit and held off the Rockford RiverHawks 8-7 at Wuerfel Park on Wednesday night in the final meeting of the season between the two teams.
Making his final start of the season, Ryan Gehring surrendered two runs in the top of the second as Rockford opened a 2-0 early lead. Joey Huskins connected on a two-run double to give Rockford edge.
Dave Dowling, making a spot start hoping to keep the RiverHawks playoff hopes alive, surrendered the lead in the bottom of the third as the Beach Bums hit around and scored four times. Brad Roblin began the inning with a bunt single and Zack Kalter drew a walk to place runners at first at second. Curtis Ledbetter connected on a double into the left center field gap to score both runs and tie the game. Brad Vericker followed with a walk and Kyle Bradburry plated Ledbetter with a double of his own. The final run of the inning scored when Aaron Garza chased Dowling from the game with an RBI single.
With Dane Towery on out of the Rockford bullpen, the Beach Bums sent eight men to the plate in the fourth and scored two more runs to open a 6-2 lead. Brad Roblin was again the catalyst, reaching on a one-out single. Roblin stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Zack Kalter doubled in Roblin and came in to score himself on an RBI fielder's choice from Brad Vericker. Roblin added an RBI triple in the fifth to plate Sam Orr and give the Beach Bums a 7-2 edge.
While the lead was never relinquished, the RiverHawks sure made things interesting. Ryan Gehring departed in the sixth inning as three runs came in to score and Rockford moved within 7-5. Gehring worked five innings in his final start walking one and striking out three to tally his seventh win of the season, tying him with Bryan Rembisz for the league lead.
Brad Vericker connected on a leadoff homer to begin the bottom of the inning, clearing the wall in right with his sixth of the season and again giving the Beach Bums a three-run cushion at 8-5. Matt Hagen tripled home a run for Rockford in the top of the seventh to pull Rockford within 8-6. The RiverHawks had runners at first and third with two outs in the eighth inning when Tyler Meigs entered and left the tying runs on with an inning ending strikeout.
Meigs went on to earn his team record 11th save of the season (Jordan Thompson finished with 10 in 2006), but it didn't come easy. The first three Rockford hitters in the top of the ninth inning reached base following a hit batsman and two walks. Meigs was able to induce an infield flyout, a ground out that scored a run, and with the tying run at third he struck out Joey Huskins, who had driven in three runs, to preserve the narrow win.
Traverse City finished with 16 hits on the night and has won six straight home games. Brad Roblin finished 4-for-5, the third four-hit performance of the season for a Beach Bums player. He stole a base, scored a pair of runs, drove in a run, and connected on a triple. Roblin was tabbed as the Player of the Game. Zack Kalter, Curtis Ledbetter, Brad Vericker, Kyle Bradburry, and Sam Orr all finished with two hits. Ledbetter and Vericker each drove in a pair of runs. Ledbetter extended his hitting streak, the second longest of the season in the Frontier League, to 24 games. He can match Windy City's Mike Coles' best mark of 25 games against Windy City tomorrow night. Sam Orr also extended his streak to 10 straight games with a hit and 25 straight games of reaching base.
The Beach Bums (45-47) will open the final series of the 2007 season tomorrow against the Windy City Thunderbolts at Wuerfel Park in a 7:05 pm game. Windy City has wrapped up the Central Division crown and homefield advantage for the playoffs. The Thunderbolts have also set a Frontier League single season record for wins with 65. It will be Community Partners Night at the park and the first 1,000 adults will receive a Beach Bums/Community Partners T-Shirt. RHP David Nathanson (5-2, 3.23) will pitch for the Beach Bums against RHP Eric Fussell (11-2, 3.30) the ace of the Windy City staff. Tim Calderwood will broadcast the game on The Fox FM beginning with the Beach Bums On Deck Show at 6:45pm.
Frontier League Stories from August 29, 2007
- Grizzlies Outslug Otters - Gateway Grizzlies
- Beach Bums Rally and Hold Off Rockford For Third Straight Win - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Ball Bounces Miners Way in ComeBack - River City Rascals
- Rockford Rally Falls Short, 8-7 - Rockford RiverHawks
- Chillicothe Holds on for 9-6 Victory over Slippery Rock - Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti
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