Beach Bums Rally in 10-9 Thriller
July 20, 2011 - Frontier League (FL)
Traverse City Beach Bums News Release
TRAVERSE CITY, MI- The Traverse City Beach Bums rallied back from a seven-run deficit when shortstop Jose Vargas delivered a three-run triple to complete an incredible comeback in front of 3,176 fans at Wuerfel Park as they beat the Washington Wild Things by a score of 10-9.
After the Wild Things scored five runs against the Beach Bums bullpen in the seventh inning, Washington carried a 9-2 lead into the bottom half of the frame. At the time, the chance of a comeback looked slim for Traverse City. In the bottom of the inning, the Beach Bums sent all nine of their hitters to the plate, scoring four runs in an inning highlighted by an RBI-triple from designated hitter Zack Pace to help the Beach Bums cut the deficit to 9-6.
An inning later, the Beach Bums would send eight more men to the plate against the Wild Things bullpen. After an RBI-single from right fielder Matt Brown, the Beach Bums loaded the bases with two outs and the potential winning run on-base for Vargas. The Beach Bums shortstop lifted a pop up to shallow right field. It looked as if Wild Things second baseman Drew Rossi would be able to make the catch, but a stiff wind blew the baseball just out of his reach, allowing the ball to fall in for a triple which cleared the bases, giving the Beach Bums a 10-9 lead.
In the ninth, Beach Bums reliever Scott Mueller retired the first two batters he faced before allowing a two-out single to Wild Things center fielder Chris Sidick. Pinch hitter Eric Stephens launched a long fly ball down straight down the left field line that was ruled a foul ball by home plate umpire Ron Nordquist. Washington manager Darin Everson immediately argued the call, and eventually the outburst resulted in his ejection. Mueller would go on to retire the Wild Things in the ninth to earn his thirteenth save, end the ballgame and give the Beach Bums the series victory.
Beach Bums reliever Jeff Cinadr (1-0) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings allowing the time for Traverse City to mount their comeback and pick up his first win in 2011. Washington reliever Taylor Wulf (2-2) allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning while suffering his second loss. The Beach Bums improve to 29-25 with the loss, while the Wild Things fall to 22-30 on the season. Beach Bums third baseman Jeff Flagg hit a solo home run in the ballgame, his third of the season, during the contest. Brown led the Beach Bums with four hits, while Vargas and left fielder J.T. Hall each had three for Traverse City.
The Beach Bums hit the road for a three-game series with the Windy City Thunderbolts on Thursday night at 8:05 p.m. Right hander Matt Smith makes the start for the Beach Bums on the mound, while righty Dustin Williams, who threw a complete game shutout in his last start against the Beach Bums, gets the start for Windy City. The Budweiser Pregame Show starts at 7:45 p.m. on Sunny Country 101.9 FM and streaming online through tcbeachbums.com.
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