Defenders win 9-6, take series 3-1
August 24, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
Connecticut Defenders News Release
NORWICH, CT- Connecticut (74-53) and Binghamton (48-78) wrapped up their season series Monday night at Dodd Stadium as the Defenders defeated the B-Mets, 9-6. Connecticut took the four games series 3-1, winning 10 out of the 17 games played between the two this season.
SS-Brandon Crawford sent the first pitch he saw to deep straight away center scoring Mooney easily and gave the Connecticut Defenders a 6-5 lead for good.
Mike McBryde was perfect in the series finale against Binghamton going 5 for 5, with two doubles and scoring a pair, while driving in a run, helping set the tempo for Connecticut's win. McBryde finished the series 13 for 19 (.684) against the B-Mets.
Connecticut jumped on the scoreboard first, the first time in this series after 2B-Brock Bond led things off in the first with a walk. CF-Mike McBryde trying to bunt over Bond reached with an infield single. RHP-Dylan Owen walked his second batter of the inning in RF-Eddy Martinez-Esteve loading the bases; then the next pitch hit 1B-Ramon Castro bringing in the first run of the game. 3B-Sharlon Schoop delivered the big hit of the inning a two-run single for a 3-0 Defenders lead.
LHP-Jesse English struggles continued as he could not control his pitches walking the lead-off man in the second inning in 3B-Shawn Bowman. 1B-Mark Kiger's RBI single got the B-Mets on the board at 3-1.
The Defenders got the run back in the bottom half of inning number two. A two-out single by McBryde was followed up by LF-Brad Boyer's double scoring McBryde and putting Connecticut back up 4-1.
The B-Mets tacked on a run in the third when the pitcher Dylan Owen reached on another leadoff walk by Jesse English. Owen came around and scored on an RBI ground out from Mark Kiger.
Binghamton jumped in front of the Defenders in the top half of the fourth on RF-Caleb Stewart and LF-DJ Wabick's back to back singles to start the inning. English walked his fourth B-Met in Mark Kiger loading the bases. CF-Emmanuel Garcia singled scoring Stewart, as all the runners moved up a station. A walk to SS-Rueben Tejada tied the ball game up at four, allowing 2B-Jose Coronado to drive in the go-ahead run on fielder's choice capping off a three run inning and a 5-4 B-Met lead.
Connecticut tied the game right back up in the bottom half; C-Jackson Williams started things off with a single and came into score on Brad Boyer's fielder's choice ground ball.
The Defenders opened things up and pulled away in the bottom of the seventh. A leadoff single by Eddy Martinez-Esteve later subbed for Mike Mooney to run the bases. A Ramon Castro sac bunt following a Mooney stolen base put the go ahead run on third. SS-Brandon Crawford sent the first pitch he saw to deep straight away center scoring Mooney easily and giving the Connecticut Defenders a 6-5 lead. Sharlon Schoop hit his first homerun at Dodd Stadium and third of the year Connecticut was up 7-5. They added two more runs as Brock Bond singled to drive in Jackson Williams who reached on error. Mike McBryde capped up the four run seventh with his fifth hit an RBI double to score LF-Bobby Felmy and the Defenders were out in front 9-4.
Picking up the win for the Defenders was LHP-Dan Runzler (3-0) pitching one inning allowing just one hit, walking one and strinking out two getting out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh. Suffering the loss for the B-Mets was RHP-Edgar Alfonzo (4-4) allowing four runs in two innings of work.
Connecticut will host a three game set at Dodd Stadium against their inner-state rivals the New Britain Rock Cats (65-61) tomorrow night with first pitch scheduled for 6:35pm. The Rock Cats will start RHP-Deolis Guerra (6-2) against the Defenders TBA.
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