Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short as Steamers Beat Marlins 3-2

June 14, 2014 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Morehead City Marlins News Release


EDENTON, N.C- Morehead City had the tying run on third and go-ahead run on first with just one out in the ninth, but Josh Roeder shut the door and struck out the final two batters of the game as the Edenton Steamers held on for a 3-2 victory on Saturday night.

Kyle Carroll led off the ninth inning with a walk - his third time reaching base in the game - and was followed by one-out singles from Many Pazos and Nick Lombardi. Lombardi's single scored Carroll and set up a situation where contact would likely score the tying run, but Trent Leimkuehler and Johnny Caputo both struck out swinging with the tying run on third to end the game.

"Sometimes you have to give credit to the guy on the mound," said head coach Sam Carel."Their guy had electric stuff. Lombardi did a good job hitting that ball to the opposite field, and contact would have been nice [with a runner on third and one out], but you have to tip your cap to their pitcher."

The Marlins' only other run in the game came back in the second inning, when Carroll lifted a solo home run to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead. After going 1-for-14 to start his season, Carroll is 3-for-4 with a homer, three walks, three runs and two RBI in his last two games. He had just one plate appearance in those two games - a flyout in the seventh tonight - that he did not reach base safely.

"He has helped strengthen the lineup," Carel said. "You have a guy there who has been seeing the ball well into the bat, and he has played extremely well defensively too."

Matt Simmons also had a good day at the dish for Morehead City, collecting two singles for his team-high fifth multi-hit game, while Lombardi extended his on-base streak to ten games with his RBI single in the ninth.

The game had been tied at one from the second inning until the sixth, when Edenton struck twice to pull ahead 3-1. Kyle Driscoll allowed two singles to lead off the inning, and later let a run in on a wild pitch. Logan Hershenow came on in relief and limited the damage, but a second run still scored on an RBI groundout. Both runs were charged to Driscoll.

Driscoll had been on in relief of Davis Kirkpatrick since the fifth inning, after the East Carolina right-hander saw his pitch count rise due to a season-high seven strikeouts to go along with a season-high seven walks. Despite his uniquely erratic outing, Kirkpatrick allowed just one run in the second, and only allowed one hit.

"He didn't have his best stuff but he competed and gave us four great innings," Carel said. "[He did] a good job out there."

The Marlins will return home for just their fifth home game of the season on Sunday against the Gastonia Grizzlies. First pitch is schedule for 7:05 p.m.



Coastal Plain League Stories from June 14, 2014


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