BlueClaws end regular season with win
Published on September 7, 2009 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Jersey Shore BlueClaws News Release
SALISBURY, MD - The Lakewood BlueClaws put up seven runs in the final four innings, including a four-run seventh to win the final regular season game of the season by the score of 7-2 against the Delmarva Shorebirds on Monday night. The win ends a regular season where the BlueClaws were 20-games above the .500 mark and earned a playoff spot as the first-half champions of the South Atlantic League Northern Division.
The Shorebirds grabbed the lead first as LJ Hoes scored in the first and Mike Flacco the second off of BlueClaws starter Jesus Sanchez. Sanchez in his playoff tune-up pitched relatively well in three innings allowing two runs and a few unlucky plays but struck out four.
The BlueClaws (36-32/78-58) got on the board in a 2-0 game in the sixth as D'Arby Myers hits a solo home run over the wall in left centerfield. The home run is just the second of the year for Myers and he hit his first home run in April.
In a 2-1 ballgame the big inning was the seventh as the BlueClaws strike for four. Against reliever Mick Mattaliano (0-2), Jim Murphy singled to start things off before a fly our to Sebastian Valle, a walk to Brian Gump and a bloop single by Travis Mattair loaded the bases up. With the bases loaded, Troy Hanzawa hit an infield single, scoring a run and then TJ Warren cleared the bases with a double. On the double, an error allowed Warren to get to third and the third run to score. The big inning made it 5-2 in favor of the BlueClaws. Warren also hit an RBI-triple in the ninth and scored on a single by Vladimir De Los Santos.
In relief of Sanchez, Eryk McConnell (2-1) ended the season on a very strong note, as he went three innings and only had one batter reach on an error, he struck out five. Korey Noles pitched a clean inning with a par of strikeouts on the seventh and Luke Wertz pitched a shutout eighth. Santo Hernandez pitched a scoreless ninth as the bullpen combined for six shutout innings.
The Shorebirds (30-37/66-70) starter Nick Haughian pitched well in his second game at this level as he went six innings and allowed just one run.
The win for the BlueClaws makes it 11 wins in 23 games this season with Delmarva and they win the final five-game series by the count of four games to one. The win also ends the season for Lakewood at 20 games above .500 and two wins shy of last season's total of 80 wins. The BlueClaws played two less games this season than last season.
Anthony Gose, with 76 stolen bases this season ends the year with more stolen bases than any player in Minor League Baseball.
South Atlantic League Stories from September 7, 2009
- Charleston clips Savannah in season finale, 7-6 - Charleston RiverDogs
- BlueClaws end regular season with win - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Drive end regular season with win over Tourists, 5-1 - Greenville Drive
- Crawdads clipped by Intimidators, 4-1, in season finale - Hickory Crawdads
- Suns Lose Season Finale to Captains - Hagerstown Suns
- Mazzola Sends 2009 Jackets Off In Style - Augusta GreenJackets
- Tourists Fall in Final Regular Season Game - Asheville Tourists
- Power Smash Grasshoppers in Season Finale - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Legends win season's final game, sweep series - Lexington Legends
- Jarman Strong in Hot Rods Season Finale - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Kannapolis finishes regular season with 4-1 win over Hickory - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Frias, Suns Fall Short In Pitcher's Duel - Hagerstown Suns
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