McCusker's Bomb Gives ValleyCats First Walk-Off Victory of 2023
Published on June 17, 2023 under Frontier League (FL)
Tri-City ValleyCats News Release
TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats (17-14) had their five-run lead erased, only to walk-off the Florence Y'alls (17-14) by a score of 6-5 at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Saturday. The ValleyCats moved to three games over .500 for the first time this year, and are now on a season-best three-game win streak.
Tri-City showed off its defensive prowess early to keep the game tied 0-0. Jaxon Hallmark ranged in the right-center field gap to rob Brian Fuentes of extra bases in the second. Afterward, Florence threatened in the third. Cooper Edwards began the frame with a single off Rafi Vazquez. Marcos Castillo worked a one-out walk. Craig Massey singled, and Edwards dashed for the plate only to be thrown out by Carson McCusker. The Y'alls had back-to-back walks from Ray Zuberer and Brennan Price in the next inning. Harrison DiNicola lined out to short, and Pavin Parks made a heads-up play to fire the ball across the diamond to Zach Biermann to record the double play. Vazquez then struck out Fuentes looking to escape the frame unscathed.
The ValleyCats offense came alive in the bottom of the fourth. Aaron Altherr laced a double off Mike Kickham. Biermann walked before Parks drove in Altherr with a double. Jakob Goldfarb brought in Biermann from third with an RBI groundout. Ian Walters, in his ValleyCats debut, picked up an RBI single to put Tri-City on top, 3-0.
The ValleyCats extended their lead in the fifth. McCusker walked and Altherr had a single. Goldfarb collected his first three-RBI game of the season after knocking in both baserunners with a double to pull Tri-City ahead, 5-0.
Kickham was handed a no-decision. He went 4.2 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, walking four, and striking out six.
Greg Veliz came in for Vazquez in the seventh with runners on second and third with one out. Veliz struck out Cole Brennan and Castillo to get out of the inning.
Vazquez received a no-decision. He hurled 6.1 scoreless innings, yielding five hits and four walks, while striking out four on 106 pitches.
Veliz ran into some trouble in the eighth. Massey hit a triple and Zuberer followed suit with a two-run blast. Price walked and DiNicola singled to knock Veliz out of the game. Reymin Guduan entered and struck out Fuentes and Jeremiah Burks before giving up a three-run homer to Cooper Edwards to tie the game, 5-5.
Guduan pulled a houdini act in the ninth. He issued a single to Massey and a walk to Zuberer to open the frame. Andres Rios laid down a sac bunt. Guduan then buckled down, striking out DiNicola and Fuentes.
McCusker rewarded Guduan's effort with a walk-off solo homer off Carter Poiry in the ninth. McCusker's 12th homer of the season sealed the ValleyCats 6-5 victory.
Guduan (1-1) earned the win. He tossed two frames, allowing one run on three hits, walking one, and striking out a season-high five batters. He issued his first free pass after 13.0 consecutive innings to start the year without giving up a walk.
Poiry (2-2) took the loss. He pitched 1.1 innings, yielding a run on one hit, and struck out three.
Tri-City continues its six-game homestand, and its three-game set against the Florence Y'alls tomorrow, Sunday, June 18 with a doubleheader. The first pitch of the twinbill is scheduled for 3:00 PM, and the second game will start about a half hour after the conclusion of game one.
FINAL | TRI-CITY 6 | FLORENCE 5
W: Reymin Guduan (1-1)
L: Carter Poiry (2-2)
Time of Game: 2:59
Attendance: 2,020
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