Elmira Strands 13 Runners as Berkshire Hangs On 2-1
Published on July 24, 2002 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Elmira Pioneers News Release
Wednesday, July 24, 2002 - Dunn Field, Elmira, NY
The Berkshire Balck Bears picked up their first ever win over the Elmira Pioneers in 11 tries with a 2-1 decision Wednesday night at Dunn field in front of 1407 fans.
Elmira left 13 runners stranded in the game including 9 left on the final 4 innings.
Joe Cotton was brilliant for the Black Bears working out of a bases-loaded nobody-out jam in the bottom of the 8th to preserve a 1 run lead and then stranding runners at 2nd and 3rd in the 9th for a hard earned 5th save of the season.
Greg Keagle (4-8) allowed 2 runs in the 1st inning but rallied to throw 6 shutout innings after that. Keagle's loss is his 7th in his last 8 starts. Berkshire had only 2hits from the 2nd inning on against Keagle and reliever Matt Pike.
LH Dallas Mahan (5-2) scattered 8 hits over 6.2ip for the victory.
Berkshire is 3-8, 17-39 with the win. The Pioneers fall to 8-4, 33-24.
In the 1st, Curtis Goodwin led off the game with a triple that hopped past a diving Norm Hutchins to the wall in right-center. He scored on a Joe Kerrigan Sac-Fly. Chris Sawyer was hit by a pitch with 2 outs and scored on a double by Ender Gonzalez to left-center.
The Pioneers trailed by that 2-0 score for most of the night before tallying their lone run in the bottom of the 8th off reliever Matt Ballie. Rafael Alvarez, Pedro Quero and Brandon Pernell all drew consecutive walks to begin the inning. Osmani Garcia hit a little tapper to SS Luis Mercedes who went for the force at 2nd base but Pernell hustled safely ahead of the throw and Alvarez came in to score on the fielder's choice.
Cotton entered in a 2-1 game with runners at every base and no outs. He struck out Brian Jones and Rolando Bello back to back and then speared Bobby Hill's sharply hit low one-hopper at the mound to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 9th Norm Hutchins beat out a wide throw by 2B Ryan Nevins and Ron Bush legged out an infield single. With the tying and winning runners on base again with nobody out cotton would bear down again, this time against the heart of the Pioneers batting order. He induced a foul pop-out ofAlvarez and struck out Quero and Pernell back to back to finish Berkshre's 2nd win in their last 10 games.
LH Justin Stine (4-4, 4.00) starts for Elmira in the series finale Thursday night at 7:05.
Canadian American League Stories from July 24, 2002
- Elmira Strands 13 Runners as Berkshire Hangs On 2-1 - Elmira Pioneers
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