Defenders Fall Twice/ Trail Series 1-2
September 5, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
Connecticut Defenders News Release
NORWICH, CT- Holding on for their playoff lives, Reading kept afloat as they dropped Connecticut in both games of Saturday's doubleheader at Dodd Stadium. The R-Phils took game one 9-4 and game two 4-3.
Connecticut spotted Reading another substantial lead in the first inning, this time around the R-Phils wouldn't relinquish it as they grabbed a five run advantage out of the gates. After a walk to CF-Quintin Berry, RF-Domonic Brown ripped an RBI double. LF-Kevin Mahar then singled and 1B-Brian Stavisky drove them both in with another double. Stavisky would then stroll home as 3B-Neil Sellers crushed a two run homerun over the leftfield wall.
The Defenders responded in the home half of the inning with a lone run of their own. 2B-Brock Bond leadoff with a single then advanced to second on a sac bunt by CF-Mike McBryde and scored on a 1B-Brett Pill double play ball.
3B-Ramon Castro blasted a leadoff homerun (3) in the second and cut the Reading lead to just three.
Both teams exchanged runs in the third but Connecticut was able to pull within two in the fifth on a McBryde sac fly that drove in Crawford who leadoff with a pinch hit double, the Defenders trailed 6-4.
Reading then pulled away adding a run in the fifth on a 3B-Neil Sellars RBI single and a pair of runs in the sixth as LF-Kevin Mahar bolted a two run homer.
Defenders' starter RHP-Daryl Maday (6-6) suffered the loss allowing seven earned runs off of nine hits, walked three and fanned two. R-Phils' starter LHP-Yohan Flande (4-4) earned the win tossing a complete game, allowing four earned runs off of eleven hits and struck out a pair.
Game two was similar as Reading took the early lead taking advantage of back to back walks when C-Kevin Nelson delivered an RBI single.
The R-Phils would load the bases in the third and stack up their lead on a 1B-Brian Stavisky bases clearing double into the right centerfield alleyway, Reading led 4-0.
Connecticut eventually got on the scoreboard in the fourth as Pill drew a leadoff walk, Crawford singled and Pill scored on a CF-Mike Mooney RBI single.
The Defenders would make things interesting the seventh. A leadoff walk by Bond followed by a 2B-Sharlon Schoop RBI double cut the lead in half. Pill then sent a shot to deep right centerfield that would have been trouble but a diving catch by CF-Mike Spidale claimed the second out. Pinch hitter-Josh Phelps singled to set runners on the corners. SS-Brandon Crawford then slapped a slow chopper to third which was booted by Sellers, allowing Schoop to score and pull the Defenders within one but 3B-Ramon Castro would strike out on four pitches from R-Phils' reliever LHP-Antonio Bastardo who earned the save (3).
Defenders' starter LHP-Steven Calicutt (0-1) suffered the loss in his first start at Double-A. Calicutt allowed three earned runs off of just two hits, walked three and struck out a pair. Reading reliever LHP-Sergio Escalona (2-1) picked up the win tossing two hitless innings and fanned two.
Both teams will meet again tomorrow at 1:05pm at Dodd Stadium for game four in the five game series. The matchup has Defenders LHP-Madision Bumgarner (9-1) up against the R-Phils' RHP-Mike Cisco (1-4).
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