16 HITS NOT ENOUGH FOR YD TO SQUEEZE PASS BOURNE AS GAME ENDS IN DRAW
The Bourne Braves traveled to Red Mills Field on Saturday and brought the YD Red Sox their second draw of the season in a 31 hit game that ended due to darkness. Nine innings was not enough to decide a winner as the offenses of each team poured on the hits and drove the nine inning game into the night.
The Red Sox tallied together 16 hits to Bourne’s 15 but was not able to scrape together that final run to take the win in a game that they lead through the first six innings.
YD got started early when James Ramsey singled with two outs in the first inning. Stephen Piscotty drove an opposite field double into the right-center gap as Ramsey turned on the jets and scored all the way from first for the first Red Sox run. Mason Katz then reached base on an error by the third baseman that allowed Piscotty to score and the Red Sox to take an early 2-0 lead.
Alex Gonzalez started for YD and although allowing eight hits was able to escape a few jams to hold Bourne to one run in five full innings. Gonzalez forced a double play in the first inning to spoil a couple hits by Bourne, stranded runners on second and third with one out in the second, and allowed only one run in a hectic fifth inning.
YD collected another run in the bottom of the third when leadoff singles by Tyler Hanover and James Ramsey put two runners on with no outs. After a Piscotty fly out moved Hanover over to third, Katz blooped a single over the first baseman’s head to score Hanover.
Things got rough for the Red Sox in the seventh inning. The top of the Braves lineup started the inning with an infield single by Travis Jankowski and a walk for Mike Lebel. Jankowski stole second and moved to third on a pass ball and Lebel stole second once he reached base. A great diving put out by shortstop Matt Wessinger allowed the second Bourne run to score. Another walk by YD pitching loaded the bases and an additional infield hit drives in the game-tying run to bring the score to 3-3. After striking out the next batter, relief man Aaron Schuldt surrendered a single that scored two more runs and Bourne took the lead 5-3.
The top of YD’s lineup kick started their portion of the seventh as well, storming back to regain the lead. A leadoff single by Wessinger and two steals quickly got him to third base. Back-to-back singles by Ramsey and Piscotty brought in Wessinger to cut the Braves lead to 5-4 and a two-out single by Jacob Lamb loaded the bases. Third baseman Anthony Melchionda hit a clutch double to drive in two runs and reclaim the YD lead 6-5.
As darkness rapidly approached, YD needed just three outs in the top of the ninth to preserve the win. However, a leadoff home run by the Braves first baseman, D.J. Hicks, his first of the year, tied the game 6-6 and resulted in the final score.
YD threatened in the bottom of the frame after back-to-back two-out walks put runners on first and second but Melchionda’s heroics in the seventh did not translate to the ninth as he struck out to end the game.
The Red Sox record sits at 6-5-2 as the season moves into late June. They play the Chatham Anglers in Chatham on Sunday at 5:30.
