
CornBelters Rally in Ninth, Win 8-7
June 2, 2012 - Frontier League (FL)
Normal CornBelters News Release
FLORENCE, Ky. - The Normal CornBelters, presented by Illinois Corn Farmers, used a ninth-inning comeback to break a three-game losing streak and defeat the Florence Freedom 8-7 on Saturday night at the Home of the Freedom.
The CornBelters put up a crooked number in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead. Brantley Meier led off with a with a walk followed by a single from Sean Wilson, then Meier scored on a base hit by Alvaro Ramirez. Wilson came home on a sacrifice fly by Jordan Stouffer, then Ramirez scored on a double by Pat Trettel.
The Freedom quickly answered in the bottom half of the third much like the previous night by tying the game at 3-3 on three hits and an error. Florence took a 4-3 lead in the fourth on a solo home run to right center by Tucker Nathans.
The Belters tied the game at 4-4 when Jordan Stouffer led off the eighth inning with a home run over the right field wall. The Freedom again answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth with three straight hits to take a 6-4 lead.
The CornBelters comeback in the ninth began with one-out singles from Brantley Meier and Sean Wilson, followed by an RBI double from Alvaro Ramirez. Pat McKenna then tripled to the right field wall to score Wilson and Ramirez, and McKenna scored on a ground out to give the CornBelters an 8-6 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. The Freedom did not go quietly, as David Harris tripled with two outs and scored on a base hit by Chris Curley to cut the Belters lead to one run. A walk to Eddie Rodriguez put runners on first and second, but a sharp grounder by Jim Jacquot deflected off pitcher Marshall Schuler but was scooped by McKenna, who made the throw in time to end the game.
Schuler earned the win with two innings of relief to pick up his first decision of the season. Jorge Marban (0-2) took the loss.
The CornBelters conclude the series in suburban Cincinnati on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. Central with right-hander Tyler Lavigne (1-0, 2.81 ERA) against the Freedom's righty Sean Gregory (1-1, 1.59 ERA). Pre-game begins at 4:50 p.m. on WJBC.com.
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