Fielders Hold off Maui in 5-4 Victory

May 29, 2011 - North American League (NAmL)
Lake County Fielders News Release


Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii (May 28, 2011) - After a back-and-forth battle, the Lake County Fielders defeated the Maui Na Koa Ikaika, 5-4, to win their third consecutive game to start the season.

The offense came out early against Maui starting pitcher Kevin Altman, as the first four Fielders hitters reached base in the first inning. Second baseman Brandon Newton led off the game with a single to left field, later advancing to second base on a wild pitch. Shortstop Rex Rundgren drew a walk and centerfielder Lino Garcia snuck in an RBI single to right field for the game's first run. Argelis Nunez, who returned to the starting lineup after sitting out yesterday's game, reached first base on an error by Maui third baseman Nicholas Fitzgerald, giving the Fielders a great opportunity with the bases loaded and nobody out. However, Altman was able to strike out first baseman C.J. Ziegler and right fielder Quentin Luquette, and get third baseman Patrick Brooks to pop out to end the inning, stranding the bases loaded.

In the second inning, the Fielders' offense continued to attack Altman (0-1). Starting pitcher Dan Blewett hit a single and later found his way to third base, following a wild pitch and passed ball. Two batters later, Rundgren got his second base-on-balls of the game. That put runners at the corners with one out for Garcia. Garcia drilled the first pitch he saw and sent it on a long line drive over the left field wall for a 3-run homer. With that home run, Garcia had accounted for all four Fielders runs.

Maui would cut into the Fielders' 4-0 lead during their turn in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Maui shortstop Gered Mochizuki, who had gone hitless in the first two games, notched his second hit of the game. Mochizuki stole second base and took an aggressive move by advancing to third base on a groundout to the left side of the infield. That gamble paid off as he scored on Maui first baseman Stephan Pearson's groundout to Ziegler, to make it 4-1 Fielders.

Blewett was hit hard in the bottom of the 5th inning, allowing three straight hits to start, with Mitch Einertson's RBI single cutting the Fielders' lead to 4-2. Blewett was able to draw a double play off the bat of Maui left fielder J.J. Sherill, sacrificing another Maui run for two outs. However, a costly two-base throwing error by Rundgren allowed the tying run, in the form of Pearson, to reach scoring position. The next batter, Maui right fielder Mark Okano, drove in that tying run with a hard single down the right side of the infield.

Despite not factoring into the decision, Blewett continued the strong outings from the Fielders' starting pitchers. He went 5 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits, striking out 5 and issuing just one walk.

But, it was two of the youngest hitters on the Fielders roster that came through in the top of the 6th inning. Luquette led off the inning with a double to the alley in left-centerfield, his first hit as a pro. Two batters later, it was another first hit as a pro, coming from pinch-hitter Brad Payne. With two outs and the runners at the corners, it was up to Newton to break the tie. Newton got the single the Fielders needed, driving in Luquette, and breaking the tie to give the Fielders a 5-4 lead. It was a lead that the team never relinquished the rest of the game.

The bullpen continued their dominance against Maui hitting. Relievers Greg Lane (1-0), Steve Grife and closer Chris Thompson (2nd save) combined for 4 hitless innings out of the pen. Lane, who picked up the victory, went two innings, striking out one and walking one. Grife struck out two in his one inning of work. And, Thompson held the fort in the 9th inning to earn his second save in as many days.

The Fielders will look to move their record to 4-0 on Sunday night in fourth game of their seven-game series in Maui. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05pm local time (11:05pm central). You can listen to the game on 1220 AM WKRS or online at fieldersbaseball.com or wkrs.com.



North American League Stories from May 29, 2011


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