Freedom Defeat Gateway to Snap Skid
Published on June 18, 2016 under Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release
Taylor Oldham of the Florence Freedom
(Florence Y'alls)
Sauget, Ill. - The Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, rode solid pitching and 10 hits to a 5-3 victory over the Gateway Grizzles.
Cody Gray tossed five innings of two-run ball for Florence (8-23) in his first appearance of the year. He sat down the first nine batters that he faced and allowed just three hits and one walk, while striking out two.
Florence found the scoreboard first with a pair of first-inning hits. Daniel Fraga led off the game with a double to left center and Taylor Oldham followed up by ripping a two-run home run to left.
Leading 2-0, Gray cruised through his first three innings, but three consecutive hits plated two runs for the Grizzlies in the fourth.
The tie didn't last long, as Florence brought home another run in the fifth. Josh Henderson led off the inning with one of his three hits and Travis Weaver sacrificed him to second. A walk and a ground out put a pair in scoring position with two men out. Oldham then ripped a ball to shortstop that was misplayed. Henderson scored easily, but Andre Mercurio was thrown out at the plate trying to score another run.
Gray worked around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning to keep the score 3-2. Davis Adkins followed Gray with two shutout innings.
Leading 3-2, Florence added on insurance in the eighth and the ninth. Oldham led the eighth off with a single and moved to second on a walk by Austin Newell. When they tried a double steal, the throw from the catcher skipped past the third baseman and Oldham came into score another run. In the ninth, the Freedom extended their lead to 5-2 with three consecutive hits. Travis Weaver led off the inning with a double before a beautifully placed bunt single from Mercurio. Fraga knocked in Weaver with a single through the left side.
The backend of the Florence bullpen held strong. Matt Pobereyko tossed a scoreless eighth (two walks) and Ethan Gibbons earned his fifth save despite allowing a solo shot to Blake Brown.
Offense, defense, and pitching all came together for Florence as they snapped a 10-game skid. The Freedom totaled 10 hits, while limiting Gateway to just five and did not commit an error in the win.
Will Landsheft took a tough-luck loss for Gateway, allowing three runs (two earned) in six innings. Craig Massoni drove in two with a double in the fourth and Brown knocked in the only other run on his solo shot in the ninth.
The Freedom look to take the series in the rubber match tomorrow. First pitch on Father's Day is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Central time with Patrick McGrath (1-3, 7.83 ERA) on the hill against Trevor Richards (2-3, 3.22 ERA).
To keep up with all the latest Florence Freedom news and to learn about exclusive deals and contests, make sure to like the team on Facebook and follow the team on Twitter.
Images from this story
 Taylor Oldham of the Florence Freedom |
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