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Fielders Fall 4-3 in Edmonton Comeback

June 13, 2011 - North American League (NAmL)
Lake County Fielders News Release


Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (June 12, 2011) - Despite taking the lead in the 8th inning, the Lake County Fielders (11-5) could not fend off the Edmonton Capitals (9-6) on Sunday afternoon, losing their second straight game, 4-3.

The Capitals got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the 1st inning. Second baseman Matt Rogelstad led off with a triple to center field. Three batters later, he came in to score on right fielder Tom Collaro's RBI double to right field, giving Edmonton a 1-0 lead.

The Fielders struck back in the top of the 2nd inning. Argelis Nunez led off the inning with a double to the alley in right-center field. C.J. Ziegler followed up with a single of his own, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Patrick Brooks stepped to the plate and hit a ground ball that began a 6-4-3 double play. The double play allowed Nunez to score from third base, tying the game at 1-1.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Edmonton brought home a run in the exact same fashion that the Fielders did earlier in the game. With the Capitals' first two batters in the inning reaching base, first baseman Brent Metheny hit into a 4-6-3 double play. Metheny's double play, which came with runners at the corners, gave Edmonton a 2-1 lead.

For most of the game, it was an apparent pitchers' duel. Fielders ace Vince Bongiovanni fought tit-for-tat with Edmonton starter Alexander Francisco. Bongiovanni outlasted Francisco, going seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, striking out six and walking four. Francisco exited after 6.1 innings, giving up one run on ten hits, striking out six and didn't issue a walk. Neither starter factored into the decision.

In the top of the 8th inning, with Francisco out of the game and Edmonton using their second reliever of the game, the Fielders fought back with a fury. It was the combination of Nunez and Ziegler that kickstarted the Fielders' offensive spurt. Nunez singled up the middle on a hard-hit grounder and Ziegler hugged the left field foul line with his fly ball double. The two sluggers stood at second and third with one out. Brooks was walked intentionally to load the bases for Brad Payne. Payne came through in the clutch, as his grounder played havoc for Edmonton shortstop Enrique Cruz, who bobbled the ball out of his glove. The error allowed the tying run to come in. Matthew Redding brought home the go-ahead run on the fielders choice force out of Payne at second base, giving Lake County a 3-2 lead.

When Fielders reliever Ben Paxton found himself in trouble late in the bottom of the 8th inning, manager Tim Johnson decided to go to his closer, Chris Thompson, to earn a four-out save. Paxton exited the game with runners at first and second with two outs. However, Edmonton centerfielder Steve Brown, who was activated in time for today's game, hit the first pitch off Thompson into center field. Brown's hit brought home the game-tying run, and it gave Thompson his first blown save of the season.

With the momentum clearly on Edmonton's side, the Fielders went down in order in the top of the 9th inning. They carried that momentum into the bottom of the 9th inning, when Rogelstad earned a leadoff walk to put the game-winning run on base. Next up was Cruz, and he hit a deep fly ball that caromed off the top of the wall in left field. The deep blast was enough for Rogelstad to score from first base, as Cruz's walk-off double secured the series victory for Edmonton.

The Fielders will look to finish their series against the Edmonton Capitals on a high note on Monday night. The Fielders maintain a one-and-a-half-game lead over Edmonton in the North Division standings. First pitch for Monday's game is scheduled for 7:00pm local (8:00pm central). You can listen to the game on 1220 AM WKRS or online at fieldersbaseball.com or wkrs.com.

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