FL Florence Y'alls

Hagen Hurls Gem As Freedom Move Into First Place

Published on May 19, 2018 under Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release


Florence, Ky - Tied with their opponent at the top of the standings, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, outlasted the Gateway Grizzlies, 5-2, to move into sole possession of first place in the West Division on Saturday at UC Health Stadium.

Gateway (4-3) drew first blood in the top of the first inning, plating one on Freedom (5-2) starter, Steve Hagen (2-0). After Cody Livesay doubled, Trae Santos hit an in-between hopper that Xavier Turner could not field cleanly at second, allowing Livesay to score and give the Grizzlies an early, 1-0, lead. Gateway would not cross the plate again until the top of the ninth inning.

The Freedom rallied to take the lead in their first at-bat, thanks to a single from Jose Brizuela that setup a Connor Crane towering two-run homer off Grizzlies' southpaw, Max MacNabb (1-1). With Florence now in front, 2-1, Hagen began a string of four straight one, two, three innings, and would finish the night having tossed his second gem in as many starts. The right-hander's final line included seven one run innings of two-hit baseball with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts.

Florence would increase their lead to two in the bottom of the second. Once Jordan Brower singled and stole second base, Ryan Rinsky delivered an RBI-single to right-center that pushed the Freedom in front, 3-1.

After three quiet innings at the plate, the crimson and white would force MacNaab from the game in the home half of the sixth. Andre Mercurio started the inning by wearing a curveball for a lead-off hit by pitch. When a fielder's choice moved Mercurio to second, he promptly stole third, paving the way to a Cutter McDowell RBI-single that lined off MacNabb's leg and rolled into right field. McDowell would be the last hitter the Gateway lefty would face, exiting the ballgame after 5.2 innings with the Grizzlies down, 4-1. The southpaw surrendered six hits in addition to the four earned runs and struck out three while walking one.

With another lefty in the form of Colton Freeman on the bump in the bottom of the eighth, Florence would pad their lead for the last time. Keivan Berges followed a Mercurio walk with sharp single to center before both men successfully executed a double steal. With first base open, Gateway elected to walk McDowell and set up a force out at every base. Ryan Rinsky made it hurt by working a bases loaded walk, plating Mercurio for his second RBI of the night and giving the Freedom a, 5-1 advantage.

With reliever Johnathon Tripp on to close it out in the ninth, the Grizzlies used a Terry McClure double to claw their way to one more run. After the double, McClure took third on a wild pitch and scored on a comebacker to Tripp. The power-righty would restore order, picking up a couple of strikeouts on the way to sealing the, 5-2, victory.

Due to the Friday night rain-out, the Freedom and Grizzlies will wrap up their series with a doubleheader on Sunday, beginning at 2:35 p.m. Freedom righty Jordan Kraus will take the ball opposite Gateway right-hander Will Anderson in the first of two seven inning affairs at UC Health Stadium.

The Florence Freedom are members of the Independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY. The Freedom can be found online at florencefreedom.com, or by phone at (859) 594-4487.

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Frontier League Stories from May 19, 2018


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