Muckdogs Get Clutch Hitting Late, Donadio Drives in Go-Ahead Run in the 9th for 6-5 Win
July 29, 2018 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Batavia Muckdogs News Release
BURLINGTON, VT- Despite seven walks in the second inning on Saturday night at Centennial Field, the Muckdogs were able to slip by and take game two by a 6-5 decision. Michael Donadio came up clutch for Batavia in the ninth, driving in the go-ahead run.
Chris Vallimont started the game for the Muckdogs, and allowed four runs in the second inning on a career-high six walks allowed, including five straight. Four straight batters came in to score for the Lake Monsters, a new career-high for Vallimont as well. Alex Vesia would come in to get the Muckdogs out of the inning, he would walk another batter in to make it 4-0 after the second.
Batavia would slowly creep back into the game with two runs in the third. The Muckdogs loaded the bases with no outs, and would start moving runners with two gone. Denis Karas picked up an RBI single, and Donadio was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in the second run.
The Muckdogs tacked on one more in each the fifth and sixth innings. Jerar Encarnacion went yard over the right field wall for his second homer of the year. In the sixth Brayan Hernandez knocked his second hit of the day to tie the game at 4-4. It was not the biggest deficit that the Muckdogs had overcome this season, but built momentum going into the later innings.
The eighth inning saw the Muckdogs take the lead. Donadio picked up his second hit to start the inning. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, and was singled home by Pablo Garcia with two outs to put Batavia in front 5-4. The Muckdogs had experienced trouble on defense with two outs, but offensively, they had executed in clutch situations in the game.
The Lake Monsters did not roll over however, they tied the game back up in the home half of the eighth. Jeremy Eierman, the Competitive Balance Round B selection by the A's this year, came around to score on a bases-loaded wild pitch from CJ Carter to make it a 5-5 game.
In the top of the ninth, the Muckdogs cashed in on an error by the shortstop Eierman that sent Sean Reynolds to third base with just one out. Batavia had their hottest bat at the plate with Donadio. He roped a line drive to center that allowed Reynolds to walk home on the sacrifice fly-out.
Elkin Alcala gave up a single in the top of the ninth, but no more than that as Batavia took the middle game of the series. The Muckdogs look to make it back-to-back wins for the first time since they swept Williamsport on July 17th-19th.
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- Muckdogs Get Clutch Hitting Late, Donadio Drives in Go-Ahead Run in the 9th for 6-5 Win - Batavia Muckdogs
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