FL Florence Y'alls

Watson Pitches Y'alls to Win on Road

August 10, 2023 - Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release


SAUGET, IL - The Florence Y'alls, presented by Towne Properties, received a quality start from rookie right-hander Ryan Watson and rode that to a series-finale victory, defeating the Gateway Grizzlies 6-4 Thursday night at Grizzlies Ballpark.

Watson - who earned his first professional victory last start against Windy City - pitched seven innings and allowed two earned runs. The Georgia State product struck out six to earn his second consecutive victory.

Watson had the luxury of pitching with a lead for the majority of the game when the Y'alls scored first for the third consecutive game. Lane Hoover slapped a double down the left field line to give Florence an early 1-0 lead in the second. Gateway would tie the game in the third with a fielder's choice groundout for Eric Rivera.

The Y'alls (32-43) wasted no time giving Watson the lead back with two runs in the top of the fourth. Jeremiah Burks led off the inning with a solo home run, and after Ed Johnson reached on an error, Brennan Price brought Johnson home on a sacrifice fly a few batters later for a 3-1 Y'alls lead.

Florence added three more in the sixth thanks to poor Gateway pitching. Four walks and a hit batter led to a couple of runs, and a Harrison DiNicola sacrifice fly RBI extended the lead to 6-1. A DJ Stewart RBI double in the seventh and a Kyle Gaedele two-run home run in the ninth helped Gateway (46-28) get within arm's reach, but they could not complete the comeback attempt.

Carson LaRue takes the loss after going five innings and allowing three runs (two earned). He struck out seven and allowed seven hits. Zac Treece pitched the final four innings and did not allow a runner of his own to score. Cincinnati-native Nick Ernst pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts for Florence. Burks went 3-4 tonight and now owns a five-game hitting streak. Stewart had two hits for Gateway, and Gaedele had three home runs and six runs batted in this series.

It was St. Louis Browns night at the ballpark, honoring the team that called St. Louis home for more than 50 years before moving to Baltimore. Donning special uniforms, the Y'alls were the Washington Senators and the Grizzlies were the Browns.

Florence returns home to begin a six-game homestand tomorrow, Friday, August 11. First pitch against Lake Erie is set for 7:03 PM EDT. It is a firework Friday, and gates open at 5 PM for a pregame happy hour.

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