Freedom Prevail in Marathon Finale
Published on August 17, 2018 under Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release
SAUGET, Il - Despite watching the Gateway Grizzlies tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, got off the mat and rallied to a, 5-3, victory in fourteen innings on Thursday night at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.
The Freedom (41-40) raced out to an early, 2-0, lead, plating a pair of runs in their first at-bat off Grizzlies (34-48) starter, Mike Elwood. After Austin Wobrock led-off the game with a walk, Caleb Lopes put runners on the corners with a sharply hit single to right-center. After Wobrock scored on a wild pitch to put Florence in front, 1-0, Skyler Ewing delieverd a long single off the tall wall in left to score Lopes as the Freedom advantage grew to two. Elwood would restore order over his final 6.2 innings, allowing just the two first inning runs on six scattered hits with two walks and six strikeouts on his way to the no-decision.
Jordan Kraus was masterful on the mound for the visiting Freedom, holding the Grizzlies off the board until the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and Paul Russo ninety feet away from home-plate after going first to third on a Mitch Piatnik single, Piatnik found himself in a run-down after a quick look to first from Kraus. Russo broke for home, drawing a throw to the plate from Jacob Wark. The throw sailed high, allowing Russo to score and Piatnik to break for third. Skyler Ewing would gun the runner out at third base from the back-stop, ending the inning with the Freedom in front, 2-1. Kraus would not allow another run, spanning eight brilliant innings of one-run baseball, surrendering a paltry four hits and striking out seven. The right-hander would take the no-decision, but tallied a second straight quality start for Freedom pitchers in the mid-week series.
Gateway would force extra innings in their side of the ninth, handing Johnathon Tripp just his second blown-save of the season. Cody Livesay led-off the frame with an infield single, and was bunted into scoring position by Shane Mardirosian one batter later. After Blake Brown lined out to second for the second out of the inning, Trae Santos came through with an RBI-bloop-single to left to score Livesay and knot the score at 2.
Each team would go down quietly in the tenth, before the International Tie-Breaker rule took effect in the top of the eleventh. Florence would cash in their first ITB runner of the night, courtesy a Keivan Berges fielder's choice that scored Wobrock from third and gave the visitors a temporary, 3-2, lead.
In the bottom of the eleventh, Gateway tied the score again, scratching across their ITB runner on a Livesay line drive-single to left.
Bullpens would stand strong on both sides in the twelfth and thirteenth, with the Grizzlies running in to a costly out at home-plate on a missed suicide squeeze sign with Mike Castellani (3-1) on the bump in the bottom of the thirteenth. Mardirosian missed the sign, allowing Ewing to chase down ITB runner, Russo on his way back to third for the second out of the frame. Castellani then got the lead-off hitter to ground-out to second, escaping the jam with the score still tied as momentum swung in the Freedom's favor in a, 3-3, tie.
Florence would ride that momentum to victory in the fourteenth, scoring a pair of runs off Josh Glick (2-3) without needing a base-hit. After back to back walks to start the inning loaded the bases, Jordan Brower knocked a sacrifice-fly to right field to score ITB runner, Wobrock from third. With runners at first and second, Jimmy Heck was hit by a pitch, loading the bases again before Grizzlies manager, Phil Warren elected to make a pitching change. With lefty Colton Freeman on the mound, Jacob Wark was hit by the first pitch he threw, scratching one more run across as the Freedom took a, 5-3, edge, the eventual final score.
Cody Gray would tally his second save of the season in the bottom of the fourteenth, facing the minimum and collecting a strikeout to put the Freedom win on ice. In victory, Florence salvaged a needed split prior to returning home to UC Health Stadium where they will collide with the Evansville Otters on Friday. Two-time All-Star, Steve Hagen will take the ball for the Freedom, opposite a TBD starter for Evansville. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. ET in Florence.
The Florence Freedom are members of the Independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Wayin Florence, KY. The Freedom can be found online at florencefreedom.com, or by phone at (859) 594-4487.
Frontier League Stories from August 17, 2018
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- Freedom Prevail in Marathon Finale - Florence Y'alls
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