Offense Rules as CornBelters Drop Series Opener to Crushers
Published on May 31, 2011 under Frontier League (FL)
Normal CornBelters News Release
In a back-and-forth offensive affair, the Normal CornBelters dropped the opener of a brief three-game road trip 12-8 to the Lake Erie Crushers at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The loss is the fourth straight for the CornBelters.
The CornBelters scored first on a leadoff bunt single from Alvaro Ramirez, who moved to second when Frank Martinez reached on an error and scored on Jeff Dunbar's sacrifice fly to center.
The Crushers countered quickly in the second, taking a 2-1 lead. Kellen Kulbacki led off the inning with a walk and moved up to second when Jason Taylor reached on an infield error, then scored on a single by Nick Mahin. Taylor moved to third and later scored on a ground out.
In the CornBelters third, Frank Martinez extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single, then scored on a Daniel Cox double that sparked controversy. The umpires initially changed the call, ruled the ball went out of play and held Martinez at third, but changed the call back to allow Martinez to score.
The Crushers lived up to their name right away in the bottom of the third, when Andrew Davis hit a two-run homer to right, scoring Scott Houin, who had been hit by a pitch. The blast was the first homer of the season by Davis.
In the CornBelters fourth, Colin Moro led off with a sharp single and moved to third on a double by Asif Shah. Tyler Keeble plated both on a double that landed just inside the right-field line to tie the game 4-4.
Lake Erie broke the tie in the fifth, going ahead 5-4 on a two-out first-pitch home run to left-center by Scott Houin, his first round-tripper of the year.
Normal first baseman Steve Alexander quickly tied the game with his fourth home run, a shot high to the left field berm.
Once again, the Crushers countered in their half of the sixth. Kellen Kulbacki led off with a double inside the first base bag, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a ground ball by Jason Taylor off pitcher Jon Berger. Taylor stole second and was singled home by Joel Collins, who was thrown out at second trying to take the extra base. The Crushers then made the lead 8-5 with a home run down the left field line by Kyle Shaffer, which chased starter Jon Berger from the game.
The 'Belters punched back in the seventh, when Frank Martinez hit a solo homer to right, followed by a Daniel Cox double. Cox scored on Colin Moro's single to center to cut the Crushers' lead to 8-7. The inning ended when Lake Erie left fielder Kellen Kulbacki robbed Steve Alexander with a sliding catch deep along the foul line.
Normal tied the game in the eighth when Alvaro Ramirez doubled off Crusher closer Ruben Flores to left-center, scoring Brad Agustin, who had just doubled with two outs.
The Crushers had another answer in the eighth, taking a 12-8 lead. Nick Mahin led off the inning with a walk, and with two outs after being sacrificed to second, scored on Zac Messer's single. Messer, Patrick Norris and Scott Houin all scored after singles, and the final blow was delivered by a two-RBI double by Andrew Davis. The CornBelters were able to get a ninth-inning baserunner when Jeff Dunbar walked, but the game ended with him stranded on first.
Ruben Flores improves to 2-0 with the win after pitching the final four outs. Jeremy Brewer drops to 0-2 with the loss.
The CornBelters, presented by Illinois Corn Farmers, will start right-hander Ryan Sheldon (1-0, 1.29 ERA) against the Crushers' lefty Paul Fagan (0-0, 0.00). Game time is 9:35 a.m. Central with a 9:20 pre-game on WJBC.com. The CornBelters return home on CEFCU Fireworks Friday to begin a six-game homestand.
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