FIVE RUN EIGHTH INNING PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR YD TO BEST FALMOUTH
Coming off an exciting win against Harwich on Friday, the YD Red Sox (9-8-2) sought to continue their recent success when facing the Falmouth Commodores (9-10) Saturday evening. A five run eighth inning in which the Red Sox batted around the order thanks to five walks by Commodore pitching supplied the go-ahead runs that earned YD the win.
A.J. Vanegas got his first start of the season going 5 1/3 innings allowing only two runs on two hits. Vanegas also struck out two but walked six. He put himself in a place to pick up the win, yet the run support was not present in the early innings, and the relief men could not close down the Falmouth offense that attempted to chip away at the YD lead all evening.
YD picked up their first run in the top of the second inning when red-hot Mason Katz (2-4, BB) lead off the inning with a single. Following back-to-back strikeouts, Anthony Melchionda ripped a double down the left field line to place runners on second and third with two outs. New addition, shortstop Chris Taylor, walked to load the bases and catcher Bennett Pickar followed in suit by walking and picking up the RBI for YD’s first run.
Falmouth pitching got themselves into trouble all evening by surrendering nine base on balls to YD hitters. Walks brought in three of the Red Sox’s seven runs and gave countless runners a free pass to first.
The Red Sox early lead was short lived when the Commodores grabbed one run back in the bottom half of the second inning. A walk and a single lead off the inning followed by a sac bunt to move the runners over to second and third. Falmouth third baseman Max White hit a sacrifice fly to give them their first run and tie the score at one.
The Red Sox stole back the lead in the top of the fourth inning when newcomer Taylor drove in Cody Keefer from second with his first hit as a Red Sox. Keefer also saved a potential run scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth when his diving catch in left field with two outs ended the Commodore threat.
Nonetheless, Falmouth evened the score in the bottom of the sixth when Commodore left fielder Billy Ferriter tagged up from first base on a foul pop and was called safe at second on a controversial call.
Some might have categorized the call as a “make up call” for a couple close plays on Falmouth base stealers earlier in the game who were ruled out. Then, a single drove in Ferriter to tie the game at two.
The game took a turn for the worse in the bottom of the seventh inning when Falmouth’s eighth hitter, Barrett Barnes, homered over the left center field wall to give Falmouth their first lead of the game 3-2.
Seemingly fueled by the loss of the lead, YD broke the game open in the top of the eighth inning, scoring five runs and regaining the lead 7-3. Katz led off with his second hit of the game and was followed by back-to-back walks that loaded the bases with no outs. Melchionda then walked to allow the tying run to score. After a strike out by Taylor, pinch hitter Stephen Piscotty reached on an error by the first baseman to score another Red Sox run and Matt Wessinger followed with a single to give YD their fifth run. Tyler Hanover grounded out for the second out but a sixth run was able to score. James Ramsey and Mason Katz continued with a couple more walks to bring in the seventh, and final, YD run.
The Commodores were able to scrape back a single run in both the eighth and ninth innings, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit their weak pitching put them in as the YD Red Sox won the third of their last four games and second in a row.
The Red Sox continue tomorrow, Sunday, July 3rd, against the Hyannis Mets at home.
