Comeback Falls Short For Flyers Against T-Bones
Published on July 20, 2008 under Northern League (NL)
Schaumburg Flyers News Release
Kansas City, KS - Sometimes even the best efforts come up a bit shy, and the Schaumburg Flyers felt that first-hand on Sunday night. Despite scoring four runs through their final three innings, the Flyers could not catch up to the Kansas City T-Bones, falling by a final score of 9-7.
Schaumburg (21-38) played hard until the final out in the top of the second inning, and it turned into an early two-run lead. After two groundouts to lead off the inning, three straight Flyers reached base against T-Bones starter Anthony Boughner (5-3). The next batter was SS Mark Haske (0-for-3), who sent a soft line drive to T-Bones 3B Neb Brown (2-for-4, RBI). Brown gloved the ball but dropped it, allowing one run to score. With the bases still loaded, LF Jermaine Allensworth (0-for-3, RBI) coaxed a walk to score one more Flyer and make it a 2-0 lead for the visitors.
The bottom of the third saw a familiar face tie the game up for Kansas City (30-27). 2B Bo Hart (1-for-5, 2 RBI), released by the Flyers earlier in the week, sprayed a triple to deep left-center field that scored two T-Bones and made it 2-2. Despite having a man on third in a tie game with nobody out, Schaumburg starter Steve Shippey (2-6) didn't allow Hart to score, and held the damage to only a tie game.
One inning later, an error led to a Kansas City lead. With two men out, Flyers 2B Lance Koenig (3-for-4, 2 R) threw a ground ball from T-Bones LF Eric Scriven (0-for-4, Run) wildly past first base, putting Scriven on second with two outs. That gave a window of opportunity to SS Geoff McCallum (2-for-2, RBI), who smacked a single to put the home team up 3-2.
Big hits were on tap for Kansas City in the bottom of the fifth, which proved to be Shippey's final frame. The Flyers had just tied it up at three apiece on an RBI single by RF Peanut Williams (1-for-4, RBI) in the top half of the inning, but Kansas City was gunning for the lead from the start in their half. A solo homer from RF Greg Jacobs (3-for-4, RBI) made it 4-3 with one out. The T-Bones weren't finished playing long-ball, however. Catcher Craig Hurba (1-for-3, 3 RBI) hit a two-run blast to make it 6-3, followed immediately by Neb Brown's first homer of the season to extend the lead at 7-3.
The home run proved a useful tool for the Flyers in the top of the seventh. With a man on base, new DH Calvin Pickering (2-for-5, 2 RBI) got a hold of a fastball and sent it nearly 430 feet into right-center field for a two-run bomb. The slugger's second hit of the game made it 7-5 and gave Schaumburg some new life.
Kansas City scored on an unconventional sacrifice fly in the bottom of that inning. With men on third and first base, Craig Hurba popped up a ball behind the second base position. If second base had been occupied, it certainly would have been called an infield fly, and Lance Koenig put the squeeze to it for the second out. Mike Jacobs then tagged from third base on the 130-foot pop out, and forced a throw from Koenig . . . that was not in time to the plate. The run made it an 8-5 T-Bones lead, which came into play in the top of the eighth.
After a leadoff double by Koenig and a single by Flyers C Hank Lanto (1-for-3, Run), men stood on first and second with nobody out for Schaumburg in the top of the eighth. After T-Bones hurler Todd Moser got two straight outs, CF Rob Fischer (1-for-4, 2 RBI) sent a deep fly ball to center field that tipped off the glove of Aharon Eggleston (1-for-5, Run) and fell in safely. The two men scored easily ahead of Fischer, and he had a triple for sure. Steve Maddock asked Fischer to run to the plate for an inside-the-park home run that would tie the game, but a perfect relay throw to the plate beat Fischer for the third out of the inning. The score stood at 8-7, but the Flyers still trailed and would come no closer.
Kansas City sent out closer David Trahan (SV 15) in the top of the ninth with a 9-7 lead after an insurance run in their half of the eighth, and Trahan got three Schaumburg batters to go down in order for the win.
An off day tomorrow will gave Schaumburg some rest before a three-game series with the Joliet JackHammers begins at Alexian Field on Tuesday night. The Flyers will start with Brian Finch (0-4, 5.37) on the mound, and Joliet will counter with Aaron Trolia (7-3, 4.07). Game time is 7:05 p.m. at Alexian Field, and if you can't make it to the park you can hear it all on flyersbaseball.com.
The Schaumburg Flyers are a member of the Northern League, a 6-team Independent Professional Baseball League established in 1993. Opening Day is May 15th, 2008. For ticket information call (847) 891-BALL (2255) or visit www.flyersbaseball.com.
Northern League Stories from July 20, 2008
- JackHammers survive RailCats for 12-11 win - Joliet JackHammers
- T-Bones Take Series Finale - Kansas City Monarchs
- JackHammers Survive for 12-11 Win Over RailCats in Joliet - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Comeback Falls Short For Flyers Against T-Bones - Schaumburg Flyers
- RedHawks pound Goldeyes, 12-4 - Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
- T-Bones Sign Former Major Leaguer - Kansas City Monarchs
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