AtL Somerset Patriots

Epic 16 Inning Battle Goes To Lancaster

Published on June 26, 2011 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Somerset Patriots News Release


Lancaster, PA - In a marathon that lasted five hours and 29 minutes and played in two separate days, Ozzie Chavez's 16th-inning base hit drove in Alvin Colina giving the Lancaster Barnstormers a 7-6 win on Saturday night at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

At 12:04 a.m. on Sunday morning, the endurance test finally came to a close with Lancaster scoring the first earned run on the Patriots bullpen, giving Luke Sommer the loss. Sommer (0-2) had tossed 4.2 scoreless innings of relief - the longest outing of his career - before Colina doubled and Chavez slapped a base hit down the right field line for the win.

The Patriots held a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th with Andrew Dobies taking the ball looking for his second save in as many nights. A one-out Matt Hagen error allowed Gilberto Mejia to reach before Tommy Everidge singled with two outs bringing Fernando Seguignol to the plate. The league leader in homers, Seguignol wrapped a ground ball to Jeff Nettles at third base but a miscue there allowed Mejia to score. One batter later, Aaron Herr sent a single into center, driving in Everidge to tie the game. Dobies had not allowed a run in 14 innings of work, a Patriot season-high, until the 9th. Both runs were unearned against Dobies who blew his first save of the year in four chances.

The Patriots jumped in front in the 11th on Jonah Bayliss. With two runners on, Wayne Lydon, who had entered in the 10th as a pinch-hitter, knocked a base hit to right field driving in Elliott Ayala. An error by Sam Wiley, who had come in as a defensive sub at the start of the inning, allowed both Lydon and Joe Holden to move up a base before a throw to home plate by Mejia went back to the screen, bringing Holden in to give Somerset a 6-4 lead. Bayliss would walk both Josh Pressley and Jeff Nettles to load the bases before Justin Segal entered and retired Justin Huber to end the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Ryan Houston came on for hoping to save his first game of the year for Casey Cahill who pitched a scoreless 10th. But another defensive miscue, this one by Fernando Cortez to start the inning, would put Ben Copeland on base. Houston fanned the next two men before a base hit from Herr put the tying run on base. A wild pitch put two in scoring position and JC Holt shot a single to left, tying the game at 6-6. Both runs against Houston were also unearned as he blew his first save chance of the year. Both teams committed four errors on the night.

Somerset had chances to take the lead, putting the leadoff man on in four of six extra-innings without scoring any of them. The biggest Patriot opportunity came in the 13th when the Patriots loaded the bases on Segal with no outs. Pressley bounced a ball to first at Everidge who fired home to start a 3-6-3 double play, preventing a run. Nettles would be intentionally walked and Segal would retire Huber once again to end the inning with no runs across. The Patriots stranded 17 men on base, tying a franchise record. Lancaster also stranded 17 men, six in extra-innings.

Both starters had tossed quality outings in the affair but neither would factor into the decision. Nic Ungs and Matt Wright tossed 7.0 frames with the former allowing just two runs. Wright threw his deepest outing of the season, giving up just four runs, three being earned. Somerset scored three in the 3rd inning before Lancaster scored one in the 4th. Both clubs scored a run in the 5th inning. Ungs retired the last eight men he faced.

Lee Tabor (1-0), who entered with one out in the 14th, picked up the victory with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Both teams used five relievers. Somerset drew a franchise record 14 walks, four of them to Nettles (a Patriot season-high).

Somerset (18-30) and Lancaster (29-18), after 16 innings on Saturday, will play a guaranteed 14 on Sunday. A doubleheader will see Kevin Reese (1-1, 5.87) and John Halama (1-0, 1.50) square off in game one while Chris Oxspring (0-3, 7.71) takes on Yunior Novoa (1-2, 5.66) in game two. Coverage begins at 4:00 pm on 1450 WCTC-AM and www.wctcam.com.

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Atlantic League Stories from June 26, 2011


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