EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

R-Phils Fend Off Richmond's Comeback Attempt to Claim Series

Published on May 22, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


READING, PA - The Reading Phillies survived a Flying Squirrels comeback attempt to claim game two of a three-game series, 4-3, in front of 8,713 on Saturday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Squirrels fought out of a 3-0 hole to tie the game in the seventh inning. However, in the eighth Michael Spidale belted the third home run of the night for the R-Phils, taking Squirrels' reliever Daniel Turpen deep to left field. Spidale's second home run of the season doomed Turpen (3-2) to his second loss of the season.

After a scoreless first inning, Tagg Bozied delivered the lead to the R-Phils with a solo-home run off of Squirrels' starter Ronnie Ray in the second inning. The line-shot to left field led off the inning. Matt Rizzotti followed with a double to left-center field. He was sacrificed to third and scored for a 2-0 lead when Tuffy Gosewich bounced into a double play.

Rizzotti struck again in the fourth when he faced Ray for the second time. Batting with one out, he drilled a high-arching solo-home run to right field, increasing Reading's lead to 3-0.

The Squirrels finally got to Reading starter Jason Anderson in the fifth inning. Jackson Williams singled with one out and a batter later Anderson walked Ray to put two aboard. Darren Ford sent a single back through the middle to plate Williams and cut the Reading lead to 3-1. Ray was out on the play to end the inning attempting to go first to third.

Ray worked 4 2/3 innings, and didn't factor in the decision after allowing three runs on four hits. Anderson also didn't factor in the decision, allowing a lone run on four hits over five innings.

Richmond inched closer as right-hander Michael Stutes entered in relief in the sixth inning. Brandon Crawford belted a triple off the wall in center field to start the inning and scored when Thomas Neal grounded out behind him.

Stutes also conceded the game-tying run in the seventh inning. Conor Gillaspie led off the inning with a single and moved to second when Nick Noonan walked a batter later. Matt Klimas then pinch-hit and tied the game, 3-3, with a single through the middle that scored Gillaspie. Klimas recorded his first RBI of the season on his first hit of the year, but Noonan was out on the base paths for the second out of the inning. The rally stalled after that despite Ford walking behind Klimas.

Left-hander Sergio Escalona (1-4) claimed the victory for the R-Phils, working a scoreless inning and a third. Right-hander John Ennis earned his first save of the season, working a scoreless ninth as Reading claimed the series.

The finale of the three-game series is scheduled for 1:05 PM on Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium. RHP Daryl Maday (6-0, 1.57) will make the start for Richmond against RHP Phillippe Aumont (1-3, 5.94) for the R-Phils.

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Eastern League Stories from May 22, 2010


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