Beach Bums Win Despite the Rain

Published on June 19, 2009 under Frontier League (FL)
Traverse City Beach Bums News Release


WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Traverse City Beach Bums knocked off the Washington Wild Things 9-5 at CONSOL Energy Park on Friday night in a contest that was stopped for over an hour by rain.

The offense got started early for both teams. Washington grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against Beach Bums starter Brett Bostelman when the second hitter of the contest, Chris Raniere, hit a homer over the wall in left on the first pitch.

Traverse City came back and scored twice in the top of the second to open a 2-1 edge. Brian Lapin led off with an infield single and Mike Victor followed with a double. Patrick Perry put the Beach Bums in front with a single up the middle to score two. Traverse City added to the lead with a single run in the fourth. Mike Victor and Kyle Maunus each singled, and both runners were able to move up on an error in the outfield. Robby Alcombrack lifted a sacrifice fly to left to put the Beach Bums up 3-1.

Chris Sidick hit a homer over the wall in right-center on a 3-1 offering from Bostelman to bring the Wild Things within 3-2. A steady rain was falling during most of the fourth inning, but it picked up so much that the contest was halted for 1:14 prior to the start of the fifth. Bostelman did not return following the delay, taking his first no decision of the season. He had thrown 70 pitches in his four innings of work and allowed two runs on five hits to go with a walk and three strikeouts.

Zach Groh did return to the hill for Washington after the delay and after retiring the leadoff man walked James Guerrero. Mike Epping made him pay by belting a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right to extend the lead to 5-2. The homer was the second of the season for Epping. David Hurst relieved Bostelman and retired the first five batters he faced before allowing a solo homer to Phil Laurent in the sixth to cut the lead to 5-3.

Without posting a hit, the Beach Bums added an insurance run in the top of the seventh as Scott Billak and James Guerrero each walked with one away. Two wild pitches enabled Billak to score.

Single runs by the Wild Things in seventh and eighth brought the tying run to the plate. Chris Raniere blooped a single into right to score Michael Parker in the seventh and in the eighth an unearned run crossed on a double by Phil Laurent. Jeff Williams came on in relief with they tying run at second and one out in the eighth and recorded a strikeout and a flyout to leave the runner in scoring position.

Three ninth inning runs provided Williams some insurance and accounted for the final margin. James Guerrero and Brian Lapin walked, sandwiched around a single by Mike Epping to load the bases. Mike Victor and Robby Alcombrack drove home runs with sacrifice flies, and Kyle Maunus brought home the final run with an RBI double to right. Williams worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to notch his seventh save, the top total in the Frontier League.

Mike Epping, Mike Victor, Patrick Perry, and Kyle Maunus all had two hits in the game. Perry drove in three runs. David Hurst recorded the win, his second of the season, throwing 2.2 effective innings of relief.

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Frontier League Stories from June 19, 2009


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