Freedom's Rally in Ninth Falls Short
July 11, 2014 - Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release
(Washington, PA) - The Florence Freedom (21-26) staged a dramatic rally in the top of the ninth inning but came up just short in a 3-2 loss to the Washington Wild Things (30-19) Friday night.
Down 3-0 and facing Washington closer Jonathan Kountis in the top of the ninth, the Freedom got the first three batters on base. Sam Eberle and Joe Staley drew walks. Then Chance Ross hit a blooper that fell in to center field for a hit, loading the bases. Ryan Solberg delivered a sacrifice fly, scoring Eberle and moving everyone else up 90 feet.
Down 3-1, Rob Kelly singled through the hole on the right side. Staley scored to make it 3-2 but Ross pulled up lame rounding third base and hobbled back to the bag. With no more bench options, manager Fran Riordan was forced to pinch run for Ross at third with back-up catcher Gaby Juarbe. Ben Kline hit a high chopper to third and Juarbe was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the play for the second out. With runners at first and second, Michael Wilson flew out to left to end the game as the Freedom fell one run short.
Washington got to Freedom starter Casey Henn (3-4) in the first inning as Scott Kalamar singled with one out. He stole second and advanced to third on a fly out. Stewart Ijames singled Kalamar home to put the Wild Things up 1-0.
Kalamar would do more damage in the fifth as he launched a solo home run to extend the Washington lead to 2-0.
Henn pitched well for the Freedom, tossing six and two thirds innings of two-run ball, scattering four hits, walking three and striking out six.
Reliever Ed Kohout got the final out of the seventh but surrendered a solo home run in the eighth to Ijames that ended up being the difference in the game.
Zac Fuesser (5-1) pitched six innings of shutout ball for the victory. Florence managed only three hits in the game before the ninth inning and Kountis got his 18th save of the year despite giving up two runs.
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