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Late Comeback in Maui Gives Fielders Fourth Win in a Row

June 21, 2011 - North American League (NAmL)
Lake County Fielders News Release


Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii (June 20, 2011) - It wasn't the prettiest of victories for the Lake County Fielders (18-7) on Monday night, but they pulled out an 8-7 win against the Maui Na Koa Ikaika. The win was the Fielders' fourth in a row and their fifth straight against Maui.

Maui took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning with a run-scoring double by shortstop Jose Sanchez, who came in to score on a groundout by centerfielder Mitch Einertson.

Fielders first baseman C.J. Ziegler cut into the Maui lead, by slamming his ninth homer of the season to lead off the top of the 2nd inning. Ziegler's solo blast, which was his sixth roundtripper at Iron Maehara Stadium, cut the deficit to 2-1. But, the Fielders fell short on a chance to tie or take the lead in that 2nd inning, leaving runners in scoring position with two outs.

Maui regained the run they gave up to Ziegler in the 2nd by scoring in the bottom of the 3rd. Einertson hit a one-out RBI single that scored Sanchez, giving Maui a 3-1 lead. They added two more runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, as first baseman Stephen Pearson scored on a double play and third baseman Nicholas Fitzgerald came in on a wild pitch, making it a 5-1 Maui lead.

The ever-resilient Fielders came back to tie the game. Fielders starting pitcher Zac Cline drove in Patrick Brooks, who singled to lead off the top of the 5th inning and advanced to third base on a pair of wild pitches, on a groundout to second base, to make it a 5-2 game. And in the top of the 6th inning, the Fielders got back in the game. Argelis Nunez singled, Ziegler walked and Matt Mansilla singled to lead off the inning and load the bases. Quentin Luquette drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in a run, making it 5-3 Maui. Two batters later, Matthew Redding came up with a clutch two-run single to left field to tie the game at 5-5. Unfortunately, the Fielders were unable to take the lead, once again leaving runners in scoring position with two outs.

But just as soon as Lake County tied the game, Maui reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the 6th. Pinch-hitter Richard Bargewell got a hit with the bases loaded and one out to give Maui a 6-5 lead. However, there was confusion on the base path, as all the runners took wide turns around the bases, allowing for the Fielders to throw out a runner at the plate for the second out of the inning. Maui would not tally another run the rest of the night.

Redding led off the top of the 8th inning for the Fielders with a walk, getting to third base two batters later on a fielders choice by Brandon Newton. With runners at the corners and one out, Rex Rundgren tied the game once more with his RBI single to right field, scoring Redding to make it a 6-6 game. Newton would come in to score on a wild pitch to give the Fielders a 7-6 lead, a lead which they would hold to for the rest of the night.

Fielders pitchers Ben Paxton and Chris Thompson pitched a perfect final two innings to win the game. Steve Grife (1-0), who pitched in the bottom of the 7th inning, picked up his first win of the year out of the bullpen. Thompson earned his league-leading 10th save of the season.

The five-game series concludes on Tuesday night, when the Fielders look to sweep the Maui Na Koa Ikaika. Left-hander Jino Gonzalez is projected to be the Fielders starting pitcher. The first pitch for the series finale is scheduled for 6:35pm local time (11:35pm central). The only place to heart he game is on 1220 AM WKRS or online at fieldersbaseball.com or wkrs.com.



North American League Stories from June 21, 2011


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