SAL1 Hagerstown Suns

Suns' Magic in 8th Inning Strikes Again in 6-5 Hagerstown Win

September 3, 2011 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hagerstown Suns News Release


Hagerstown, MD- The Hagerstown Suns (73-64, 33-34) utilized a four run eighth inning for the second consecutive game to garner a 6-5 victory over the Lakewood BlueClaws (68-67, 35-32) on Saturday night at Municipal Stadium. Once again post-game fireworks were the curtain call to celebrate a resilient late inning rally by the home club. The Suns swatted 12 hits en route to the skinny triumph and was able to overcome leaving nine men on base. The Suns are now (24-19) in one-run contests this season, and tonight's victory was the ninth winner that came after Hagerstown was trailing following the 7th inning.

Suns LHP Matt Grace, who was on the hook for the loss until the late comeback surge, did not receive a decision after allowing four earned runs on seven hits, including a home run, while walking two and fanning four.

Lakewood jumped on the board with the game's first run in the 4th frame as 1B Jeff Lanning was hit by a pitch, RF Anthony Hewitt lashed a single into left field, CF Zach Collier drifted an infield single to 1B Brett Newsome, and C Cameron Rupp ripped an RBI single in front of LF Randolph Oduber. Oduber's one hop throw to C Adrian Nieto at the plate cut down Hewitt also trying to score.

Rupp was the hitting star of the game for Lakewood, collecting a single game team-high five RBI within a 2-for-3 night at the plate, which later featured a deep fly.

BlueClaws RHP Lisalberto Bonilla extended his scoreless innings streak head-to-head against the Suns to 20.0 IP after spinning 5.0 scoreless stanzas, allowing just four singles and two walks, while fanning five.

Lakewood took a 4-0 lead with three runs in the 6th inning when Lanning walked and Collier slapped a single to the deep hole at shortstop. Then, Rupp blasted a three-run bomb off Grace over the right center field fence, his fourth of the season.

In the home half of the 6th stanza off RHP Tyler Knigge, Newsome chopped a bases loaded two-RBI single into right field waving home Oduber, who singled, and SS Jason Martinson, who doubled, to the plate.

The 'Claws added an insurance run in the 8th inning when Lanning drilled a ground-rule double that hopped over the left field wall and later Rupp lofted a sacrifice fly to RF Kevin Keyes, taking a 5-2 lead.

A fateful move for the BlueClaws, RHP Mike McGuire (2-1), the losing pitcher of record, took over in the 8th inning and allowed a four run frame. Martinson cranked a solo home run over the batter's eye in center field, his 18th four-bagger of the campaign. Then, Nieto beat out an infield single behind the second base bag with a spike first slide, Newsome sliced a line-drive single into left field, and CF Wade Moore drew a walk. CF Michael Taylor blooped an RBI single up the left field line to drive home Nieto. The next batter, 3B Blake Kelso, with the bases loaded, dribbled a slow fielder's choice grounder to SS Kenny Miramontes who shoveled on to 2B Carlos Alonso, as Newsome stepped on home plate as the tying run. The middle man, Alonso, threw high and late to Lanning at first base. Lanning then saw that Moore had not stopped going around third base and was trying to score and he launched a throw to Rupp. Moore executed a terrific hook slide and when Rupp received the ball in his catcher's mitt and reached out to tag Moore, the ball trickled out of his glove and the Suns achieved a 6-5 advantage.

Hagerstown LHP Ryan Demmin (5-2), the eventual winning pitcher, tossed 3.0 innings and allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk out of the bullpen. Demmin polished off the BlueClaws in the 9th inning with a one-two-three slam of the door. Miramontes flew out to right field, LF Bill Rice skied out to left field, and DH Miguel Alvarez crushed a line drive to the center field padding, and fittingly, the man who scored the go-ahead run with a brilliant curly slide, sprinted back to the warning track, reached up, and plucked the pearl out of the sky and climbed the padding in center with his spikes, holding on for the final out of the game.

On Sunday night, the Suns will host their third consecutive fireworks extravaganza as the final homestand of the 2011 campaign reaches the season's penultimate ballgame with the Lakewood BlueClaws. Municipal Stadium is the place to be for game four, a 7:05pm first pitch. Hagerstown will summon RHP A.J. Cole (4-7, 4.07) to the mound to face LHP Ervis Manzanillo (8-7, 5.16). Live radio broadcast coverage will begin with the 6:50pm Break Away 2 Sports Lounge Pre-game Show on the Radio Flagship of Suns Baseball, WJEJ AM 1240.

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South Atlantic League Stories from September 3, 2011


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