'Cats Walk off on Wild Pitch
August 21, 2010 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Tri-City ValleyCats News Release
TROY, NY- For the second night in a row, the ValleyCats and Ironbirds went down to the wire. Saturday's game ended on a happier note for the home team, as Jose Barajas's ninth-inning wild pitch brought home Marcus Nidiffer for a walk-off victory.
With the 4-3 win, Tri-City brings its record back to .500 (30-30), while Aberdeen falls to the same. The ValleyCats jumped back ahead of Connecticut for second place in the Stedler Division.
Nidiffer drew a four-pitch walk off the new reliever Barajas to lead off the ninth inning, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by catcher Chris Wallace. Adam Bailey was walked intentionally and Austin Wates blooped a single to right field. With one out, Nidiffer had to wait until Wates's popup dropped, and had no chance to score.
That left the bases loaded for Ben Orloff. The shortstop worked the count to 2-2, fouled off a curveball, and then watched as Barajas's offering bounced past catcher Dashenko Ricardo. The ball rolled all the way to the home dugout, and Nidiffer scored without a throw.
"If there ever was a game with a playoff atmosphere, it was tonight," manager Jim Pankovits said. "I'm very proud of the way we came back - that's kind of been this team's theme for the past several weeks now. We put pressure on them, and they finally cracked."
The ValleyCats were held scoreless for ten innings in the series opener and suffered more of the same in the early innings of Saturday's game. Tim Adelman held the hosts to just one hit in the first five innings: a single by the newly-signed Wates, playing his first game in a Tri-City uniform.
"I was impressed with Wates," hitting coach Joel Chimelis said. "He hasn't played much since June, but with two strikes [in the ninth], he stayed on the ball well and went the other way."
The tide turned in the sixth inning. Speedy shortstop Ben Orloff led off with a bunt single and stole second. Second baseman Kiké Hernandez drove Adelman's 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence, tying the game at 2-2.
Aberdeen opened the game with a two-out rally. Tyler Stampone's double drove in Kipp Schutz to put the Ironbirds up 1-0. The visitors extended their lead in the fourth inning, when Jeremy Nowak's opposite-field line drive cleared the left-field fence.
Tri-City and Aberdeen traded runs in the seventh. The Ironbirds took the lead without hitting the ball to the infield dirt. Michael Rooney drew a walk and Sammie Starr beat out a bunt single. Trent Mummey popped up a sacrifice attempt, but the ball fell just out of the reach of diving pitcher Murillo Gouvea and Mummey reached first without a throw. Gouvea fanned Kipp Schutz but walked Austin Rauch, bringing home the go-ahead run.
Michael Ness came on for Gouvea and escaped the bases-loaded jam. Ness retired eight of the nine hitters he faced in relief, allowing only a two-out single to Schutz in the ninth.
"[Ness] has been good for a long time now," Pankovits said. "He and Jorge De Leon have been huge at the end of games. I was afraid to use him that long, but we really felt like we needed to win this game tonight."
First baseman Marcus Nidiffer led off the home half with a triple to the center-field wall. After a one-out walk by Adam Bailey, Wates hit a grounder to the shortstop's right. The Ironbirds could not double up the speedy Wates at first and Bailey trotted home with the tying run.
Hernandez opened the eighth inning with a seeing-eye single up the middle and advanced to second on a Tyler Burnett sacrifice. But reliever Jason Gurka went to his wide-breaking curveball, throwing almost exclusively hooks to fan Dan Adamson and Mike Kvasnicka.
Aberdeen returns for the series finale tomorrow evening at 5 pm. The 'Cats will try to win their fourth consecutive series, sending ace Carlos Quevedo to the mound against southpaw Tyler Sexton.
New York-Penn League Stories from August 21, 2010
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- 'Cats Walk off on Wild Pitch - Tri-City ValleyCats
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