FL Florence Y'alls

Complete Freedom Sweep Slammers in Doubleheader

August 29, 2019 - Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release


FLORENCE, Ky - Offense and pitching came together as the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, swept a scheduled doubleheader with the Joliet Slammers, 9-7, and, 5-0, on Wednesday night at UC Health Stadium.

Florence (55-38) had to rally from behind in game one, as Joliet (39-53) opened the scoring in the first, Riley Krane knocking a two-out RBI-single off Zak Spivy (2-5) to give the visitor's an early, 1-0, edge.

Scoring twice to take their first lead in the third, Brandon Pugh, who would finish the game 3-3, sparked the Freedom offense by laying down a bunt-single for the club's first hit off righty starter, Wes Albert (1-3). Austin Wobrock made it runners on the corners one-batter later, dropping a ground-rule double down the line in left. A pair of productive outs two plated runs, Ryan Rinsky grounding out to third to even the score, before Luis Pintor put the home team ahead, 2-1, with a sacrifice-fly.

Rallying to take their second lead of the game, the Slammers surged in front in the top of the fourth. Milton Ramos stalemated the affair, following a Krane single with an RBI-double. Peyton Isaacson delivered a sacrifice-fly, next, Joliet taking the, 3-2, advantage. It would become a two-run game in the fifth, when Oliver Nunez circled the bases for the first time in 2019, lifting a solo-shot to right center.

Still facing Albert in the fifth, Florence unloaded to the tune of a six-run frame, sending all nine batters to the plate. Pugh led-off with a solo-homer, his second of the year sailed over the wall in right field to pull the Freedom within one at, 4-3. Rinsky followed with a single, but saw Wobrock score from first after an error in right by Krane that slatemated the contest at 4. Pintor knocked a single to hand the home team a one-run lead, before Ricky Ramirez Jr. laced a double to make the score, 6-4.

Albert would step aside after the two-bagger, replaced by southpaw, Mario Samuel. Connor Crane greeted the new hurler with an RBI-single, before stealing second and third and scoring on a wild pitch as Florence bolstered their edge to, 8-4.

Slammers starter, Albert would take the loss, surrendering seven earned runs on seven hits over four complete innings. The righty added one walk and one whiff in defeat.

Rookie hurler for the Freedom, Spivy, recorded one-out in the sixth, giving way to right-hander, Jamal Wilson with two outs to find. Wilson would escape the bases loaded to close the Spivy line at 5.1 innings, ten hits allowed leading to four earned runs, with no walks and two strikeouts in his second victory of the season.

After Florence added one run of insurance in their side of the sixth, thanks to another RBI-double from Wobrock, Joliet registered a three-run shot from Oliver Nunez in the top of the seventh, Joliet closing within two at, 9-7. Closer, Karl Craigie would emerge in search of the final out, getting a strikeout looking from Isaacson to seal the two-run Freedom win.

The clubs comibined for 24 hits and 16 runs in the opener, Florence knocking ten en route to the victory.

Southpaw, Scott Sebald (7-1) would dominate the night-cap, offering a complete-game gem in what became a, 5-0, Florence win. Sebald totaled ten strikeouts in the shut-out performance, offering up three total hits.

Crane put the home team ahead for the first time in the affair, ripping a two-run triple that scored Wobrock and Taylor Bryant following their single and walk, respectively in the second. Wobrock would notch five hits in the two games on Wednesday night, two of which were for extra-bases. In front, 2-0, an error by Chaz Meadows helped the Freedom up their advantage to three, Pintor reaching first on the miscue. Isaac Benard tallied a run-scoring single in the bottom of the third, the score becoming, 4-0, as the Slammers came to bat in the fourth. One last run crossed home-plate for Florence in the fifth, Bryant coming up with an RBI-double to make it, 5-0, the eventual final.

Right-hander, Keegan Long (3-11) swallowed the loss, spanning five innings and allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits while chipping in four walks and six punch-outs.

These two teams will collide in their series finale on Thursday, Florence sending to the hill southpaw, George Faue (2-4, 5.44) opposite right-hander, Tyler Jones (2-3, 4.03) with first pitch slated for 6:35 p.m. at UC Health Stadium.

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