SAL1 Hagerstown Suns

Suns Dispatch Greensboro 6-2, Advance to Championship Series

Published on September 6, 2014 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hagerstown Suns News Release


GREENSBORO, NC - The Hagerstown Suns (2-0, 87-53) put together a three-run rally in the top of the ninth inning on Friday night, extending a one-run lead to a four-run advantage as the Suns went on to beat the Greensboro Grasshoppers (0-2, 87-53) 6-2 in game two of the Northern Division Championship Series. The win gave Hagerstown the two-game sweep of Greensboro in the series, and clinched a berth in the South Atlantic League Championship Series for the Suns for the second consecutive season.

The three-run ninth inning rally for Hagerstown began with a walk issued to 1B Carlos Lopez. Cody Dent came in to pinch run for Lopez, and then DH Jimmy Yezzo singled to left field to put runners on the corners with none out. Yezzo was replaced at first by pinch runner Brennan Middleton with SS David Masters coming to the plate. Masters hit a bunt single to first, which brought home Dent and pushed Middleton to second. Both Middleton and Masters moved up a base on a wild pitch, and Middleton was brought home from third on a single to left by 2B Wilmer Difo. Masters scored the final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly hit by LF Narciso Mesa.

Hagerstown had broken a 2-2 tie the inning before with an RBI single up the middle by catcher Spencer Kieboom. It was Kieboom's second RBI of the night and brought home the first run for the Suns since the third inning.

The Grasshoppers got both their runs in the bottom of the seventh. Third baseman Brian Anderson began the inning with a line drive single to left. Two different wild pitches allowed Anderson to advance from first to third. The second of the wild pitches came during the plate appearance of 2B Avery Romero, which wound up resulting in a walk. That put runners on the corners with one out. A third wild pitch in the inning allowed Romero to go to second and put two in scoring position. Left fielder Mason Davis brought home both runners from scoring position with a double to center field to even the ball game.

Hagerstown built its initial 2-0 lead with a run each in the second and the third inning. In the second 3B Drew Ward led off with a bunt single and advanced to third following a throwing error by LHP Chris Sadberry. Ward came home from third on a single to right by Yezzo. In the third inning Difo led off with a double, went to third on a fly out to left, and scored on a sac fly by Kieboom.

It was RHP Tyler Kinley (0-1) who gave up the four Hagerstown runs over the final two innings, and thus got tagged with the loss. RHP Sam Johns (1-0) picked up the win for the Suns. He threw one inning, giving up two hits but wasn't charged for any runs and he struck out one. LHP David Napoli pitched the final 1.2 innings for Hagerstown to record his first save of the postseason.

The Suns next begin play in the South Atlantic League Championship Series on Monday September 8 in either Asheville or Savannah.

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South Atlantic League Stories from September 6, 2014


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