Florence Walks It off Versus Evansville, Regains Lead in West
Published on July 13, 2021 under Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release
FLORENCE, KY - With the score tied at five entering the bottom of the ninth inning, the Y'alls recorded three hits and drew one walk against one of the Frontier League's best relief pitchers to beat the Otters 6-5 Tuesday night at Y'alls Ballpark.
Facing Taylor Wright - who entered tonight's ballgame with a 1.04 ERA and just a .138 batting average against in 14 games - the Y'alls put four consecutive batters on base, culminating with a Connor Crane fly ball single that fell into shallow right field. Joe Lytle and Jordan Brower each recorded hits and Rodney Tennie walked the bases loaded ahead of Crane, who picked up his eighth RBI of the season. Wright had previously pitched one 1/3 innings of scoreless relief before his rare meltdown in the ninth.
Florence (27-15) capitalized on some poor defense in the ninth inning. Brower's fly ball to left field dropped to the ground as it carried much farther than Bryce Denton expected, and he missed the catch in the corner. With the infield in, Crane's shallow fly ball in right field gave second baseman Andrew Penner and right fielder Elijah MacNamee fits in the outfield. When the ball landed and Connor Perry crossed home plate, the Y'alls took a one-game lead in the West Division over Evansville (26-16).
After about a 45-minute rain delay to begin the contest, the Y'alls needed a comeback from the get-go. The Otters scored three runs in the first inning off of Edgar Martinez, highlighted by a two-run single by Andretty Cordero. Florence chipped into the deficit immediately on a home run by Axel Johnson in the bottom of the first. The Y'alls got within a run in the fifth on a Trevor Craport infield single to bring home a run, but Evansville extended the lead to 4-2 on a Denton RBI-single in the sixth. Florence tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with two runs, and each team scored a run seventh inning to bring the score to 5-5.
Each starting pitcher takes a no-decision. Martinez fired five 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on eight hits for Florence. He struck out six. Polo Portela lasted five 1/3 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits. This is the first time in nine starts that the Otters have lost a game started by Portela. Sean Hughes gets the win in relief for the Y'alls, an impressive performance in which he struck out five batters in two innings.
The Otters and the Y'alls will play the second game of the series tomorrow, Wednesday, July 13 at 6:31p ET. Casey Grimm makes his second start for Florence, opposed by Ryan O'Reilly. Gates at Y'alls Ballpark open an hour before first pitch.
The Florence Y'alls are Northern Kentucky's professional baseball team, and are proud members of the independent Frontier League, an MLB Partner League. With a purposeful focus on entertaining our fans, the Y'alls provide affordable, family-friendly entertainment. Y'alls home games are played at Y'alls Ballpark, located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, Kentucky. The Y'alls return home on July 14 for the second game of a six-game home stand against the Evansville Otters and the Windy City Thunderbolts. Tickets are on sale now for those series and the rest of the 2021 season. More details can be found online at florenceyalls.com or by phone at (859) 594-4487.
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