FL Florence Y'alls

July 24 Florence Freedom Game Notes

Published on July 24, 2014 under Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release


FLORENCE FREEDOM (24-31) vs. ROCKFORD AVIATORS (25-32)

Thursday, July 24, 2014 - 6:35 p.m.

UC Health Stadium - Florence, KY

Game #56 - Home Game #33 (24-31), (18-14)

LHP #30 Dave Middendorf (3-5, 4.43 ERA) vs. RHP #21 Kyle Hassna (0-2, 2.89 ERA)

Last time out...

The Florence Freedom (24-31) got key contributions throughout the lineup Wednesday night in a double header sweep of the Schaumburg Boomers (31-26). They took game one by a score of 5-2 and won game two by a final tally of 5-3. It's the first double header the Freedom have swept in 2014. In game one the Freedom scored four runs in the fifth inning to take control. Entering the fifth they trailed 2-1 but Ben Kline tripled and Adam Taylor singled him home. The Freedom loaded the bases and Joe Staley drew a walk to give them the lead. A two-RBI double from Zak Blair completed the scoring. Ed Kohout earned his first pro win out of the bullpen. In game two the Freedom played long ball as homers from Buddy Sosnoskie and Adam Taylor powered them to victory. Taylor's home run was the first of his pro career. Casey Henn went six innings of two-run ball to pick up the victory.

For Starters...

Dave Middendorf makes his 12th start of the season for the Freedom tonight. He has suffered the loss in four of his last five starts. In his most recent outing against Lake Erie on July 19, Middendorf went three and two thirds innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on five hits in the loss. Despite his recent struggles, Middendorf has been excellent at home this season. He boasts a 3-1 record with a 2.31 ERA at UC Health Stadium. Meanwhile on the road Middendorf is 0-4 with a 7.27 ERA. He struggled the one time he faced Rockford this season on May 27 as he went three and a third innings, giving up four runs on six hits in a no-decision. The Freedom acquired Middendorf in a trade from the Lake Erie Crushers on March 12, 2014. He was one of the top pitchers in the entire Frontier League in 2013, going 12-7 with a 2.60 ERA in 21 games, 19 starts for the Crushers. He pitched two years in the Royals' minor league system, reaching as high as Idaho Falls (Pioneer League). He went 3-4 with a 6.28 ERA over those two seasons with three saves. He made 39 appearances, all in a relief role and struck out 52 while walking 19 over 67.1 innings of work. Middendorf was named an NCAA Division II first-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association after posting a 9-3 record with a 1.73 earned run average. His 127 strikeouts in 2011 set a new single-season record at NKU and were good for second among all Division II pitchers. He also set a career mark for strikeouts with 349 over his four years with the Norse. His 25 career wins rank third all-time at NKU and his 2.53 career ERA is fourth. Along with the All-Americans honors, Middendorf was named the Great Valley Conference and Midwest Region pitcher of the year.

Against Rockford...

Florence is 1-2 against the Aviators this season. Both of their losses were by one run at Aviators Stadium. They dropped games by scores of 5-4 in 12 innings and 1-0 in seven innings (a double header). They won their only nine-inning game against Rockford by a score of 8-3 back in late May.

Where's the offense?!

The Freedom's team batting average of .232 is last in the Frontier League. Their 214 runs scored are the fewest in the league.

Excellent Eberle...

All-Star Sam Eberle leads the Freedom in On-Base Percentage at .425. He also leads the team in multiple hit games with 17.

Transaction Wire...

The Freedom traded catcher Joe Staley to the River City Rascals for a Player to be Named Later and the Rascals' second round pick in the 2015 Frontier League Draft. The Freedom signed catcher Doug Joyce.

Tonight's Special Jersey Number...

Buddy Sosnoskie is wearing #61 tonight. The jersey will be auctioned off after the game to benefit the Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky. The jersey is sponsored by Braden & Associates Law Firm.

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