Mariners Win Last Game in Dramatic Fashion

July 23, 2011 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Pulaski Mariners News Release


Pulaski VA - The Pulaski Mariners ended their home stand in grand fashion Saturday night. It took ten innings to decide a winner, and in the end the Mariners took the win in walk-off fashion by a score of 3-2.

Great pitching and timely hitting was the story throughout the game. Luke Taylor started the game on the mound for the Mariners giving his best performance of the year throwing six full innings, allowing four hits, two runs, and struck out four. Starting pitcher for the Blue Jays, Mitchell Taylor, also had a good outing allowing only one run on four hits and fanned four.

The Bluefield Blue Jays struck first in the game on a two run homerun by Kevin Pillar to give them the lead 2-0 in the second innings. The Mariners would draw closer in the fourth inning with Daniel Paolini's third homerun of the year. The solo bomb brought the Blue Jays lead down to one heading into the fifth inning.

Great pitching from the bullpens kept both teams off the board until the bottom of the ninth. Jean Acevedo started the inning off with a lead-off ground rule double that ended up stuck between parts of the wall in right field. After Acevedo was lifted for pinch runner Bryan Brito, Alfredo Morales laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt down the third base line that would advance Brito to third. Next batter Daniel Paolini stayed hot at the plate delivering an RBI single to tie the game at two all and send the game into extra innings.

Bryan Brito remained in the game at short stop and John Taylor entered the game for Pulaski on the mound going into the tenth inning. Taylor shut down the middle of Bluefield's line up for a one-two-three inning to give Pulaski a chance to take the series in the bottom half.

First batter up, Dillon Hazlett, started the innings off on a lead-off double down the third baseline to swing the odds in the Mariners' favor. After Jamal Austin grounded out, Guillermo Pimentel was issue an intentional walk to put runners on first and second with one out in the inning. With the crowd on their feet, Bryan Brito stepped to the plate with a chance to end the game, and end the game he did with a blast off the right field wall that would score Hazlett from second and win the series for the Mariners.

John Taylor (2-0) picked up the win for the Mariners while Ian Kadish (2-3) was tagged with the loss. The Pulaski Mariners will return home July 30th to take on the Burlington Royals. That game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. at Historic Calfee Park.



Appalachian League Stories from July 23, 2011


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