FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Wild Pitch In 14th Sends Charlotte To 2-1 Win

Published on August 4, 2011 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- It was evident from the early going that runs were going to be hard to come by on Thursday.

A wild pitch in the bottom of the 14th inning sent the Charlotte Stone Crabs to a 2-1 walk off victory over the Palm Beach Cardinals.

Great pitching was a theme throughout the night. While Charlotte starter C.J. Riefenhauser allowed just one run over five innings, Palm Beach righty Arquimedes Nieto turned in an even better performance.

Nieto allowed a lead-off single to Hak-Ju Lee in the bottom of the first, but did not surrender another hit over his seven innings of work. He walked one and struck out four Charlotte hitters.

The Cardinals provided Nieto with a 1-0 lead in the second inning. A pair of singles and a fielder's choice loaded the bases for Alan Ahmady, who drew a walk from Riefenhauser to plate the only Palm Beach run of the evening.

Both clubs traded zeroes until the ninth, when Charlotte finally broke through against Cards reliever Jordan Swagerty.

With men on first and second and two men out, Mike Sheridan lifted a high drive to right center field that touched down in the gap and bounced over the wall. That ground rule double brought Lee across with the game tying run, but forced Tyler Bortnick to stop at third base. Swagerty rebounded to retire Jake Jefferies and send the game to extra innings.

It remained a battle of the bullpens into the 14th inning. Charlotte relievers Kirby Yates, Josh Satow, Adam Liberatore and Michael Jarman combined to throw nine innings of shut-out baseball until the winning rally could be staged.

Jefferies sparked the winning rally with a one-out double in the home half of the 14th against Palm Beach reliever Chris Corrigan. With the potential winning run now at second, Anthony Scelfo came in to pinch-run for Jefferies.

Corrigan (1-1) followed up that double with back-to-back walks to Matt Hall and Dustin Biell. With Reid Fronk batting, Corrigan uncorked a wild pitch that escaped Cardinals catcher Luis De La Cruz and allowed Scelfo to score from third with the game-winning run.

Five Charlotte pitchers combined to tie the club's season-high by striking out 15 Cardinals hitters. Jarman (5-4) fanned a pair in a scoreless top of the 14th and picked up the victory in relief.

Yates has gotten off to quite start after missing the first three months of the season following offseason shoulder surgery. The righty worked two more scoreless innings on Thursday and has now tossed 18 2/3 scoreless frames over his first nine appearances this season.

The Stone Crabs remain a game behind the Bradenton Marauders, who also picked up a win on Thursday, in the second half FSL South Division standings.

The series concludes on Friday as the Stone Crabs send right-hander Alex Koronis (7-5) to the mound against fellow righty Richard Castillo (1-3). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

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Florida State League Stories from August 4, 2011


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