AUBURN - The game was deja vu for the Auburn Doubledays, except for the most important part - the ending.
Glenn Gaston / The Citizen
Doubledays' catcher Matt Lane swings at a pitch in Sunday's game against the Staten Island Yankees at Falcon Park.
Doubledays' catcher Matt Lane swings at a pitch in Sunday's game against the Staten Island Yankees at Falcon Park.
Against Staten Island on Sunday, the game played out nearly the same as the nail-biter on Saturday night.
pitching and an early lead - before a late collapse once again led to extra innings in the final game of the longer than normal series.
But instead of a Scott Campbell single to win the game, Ben Harrison gave up two hits in one inning on the mound, including a Kyle Larsen infield RBI in the top of the 12th. The Doubledays couldn't muster any more late inning magic, or even any hits, as they dropped the final game of the series 5-4.
“(Staten Island) had some pretty good pitchers, but I think this is a game that we should have won and could have won,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “It was a tough one to lose, we just didn't have enough to come back and get it.”
Brandon Magee made his sixth start of the season for Auburn and even though he has yet to record a decision, for 5 2-3 innings he put his team in a great position to win. He threw seven strikeouts, one walk and allowed one earned run on five hits.
The Yankees didn't score until the fifth inning, on a Seth Fortenberry infield hit to second base with two runners on. By then, the Doubledays already had a familiar 2-0 lead, scoring both runs in the second inning just as they had the night before.
Jonathan Diaz hit a long sacrifice fly ball to right field to score Brian Jeroloman and with the next at-bat, Ben Zeskind drove in Shawn Scobee on a long single to center field.
Despite his recent slump at the plate, Diaz's statistics for the game (1-for-2, a stolen base two walks and two RBI) don't do him justice. He led the team at the plate and had several clutch plays at short stop, including three of his six total assists in the eighth and ninth innings.
His lone hit was a long shot to center field to score Matt Lane in the sixth, one of two runs scored in the inning to give Auburn some breathing room. His patience at the plate led him to be the only Doubledays batter to get on base in the ninth and eleventh innings.
“I would have him on my ball club anywhere, anytime,” Holmberg said of Diaz.
Kelly Sweppenhiser also played well after not playing since last Monday. Sweppenhiser had two hits, including a perfect bunt in the sixth to score Jeroloman.
But what could have been a comfortable 4-1 lead going into the seventh inning turned out to be anything but. Ron Lowe walked two Yankees on two outs and then Russell Raley smacked a two-run double to left center field to cut the Doubledays lead to one.
“The two-run seventh is what I am most disappointed about,” Holmberg said. “With Lowe walking (Wilkins Delarosa), we've talked about this thing in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. I want pitchers to come out of the bullpen and I want shutdown innings. You can't fall asleep at the wheel like this because the next thing you know, you're driving off the side of the road and that can't happen.”
A Brian Aragon solo home run to right field off of Seth Overbey in the ninth gave the Doubledays that sick, familiar feeling of another game slipping away.
Overbey and the Doubledays' defense did a good job of shutting down the Yankees in the tenth and eleventh innings but offensively, they were unable to come up with anything. Auburn collected just five hits in the entire game and those came in just the two innings they scored. Their lack of big plays on both sides of the ball is something that Holmberg partially attributes to the recent bad weather.
“With the slow process of not being to go the daily ground balls during daily batting practice and the infield practice and all that stuff did not help us at all,” Holmberg said. “It seems like everything was backed up because of all of the rain.”
Harrison got his first loss, and decision, of the season in his one inning on the mound.
The Yankees Nick Peterson upped his record to 1-1, while Paul Patterson earned his first save of the season. The Doubledays (14-18) are off today, but head on a six game road trip to Vermont (11-22) and State College (16-16) for the rest of the week. They return to Falcon Park on the July 31 when they host the Spikes.
pitching and an early lead - before a late collapse once again led to extra innings in the final game of the longer than normal series.
But instead of a Scott Campbell single to win the game, Ben Harrison gave up two hits in one inning on the mound, including a Kyle Larsen infield RBI in the top of the 12th. The Doubledays couldn't muster any more late inning magic, or even any hits, as they dropped the final game of the series 5-4.
“(Staten Island) had some pretty good pitchers, but I think this is a game that we should have won and could have won,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “It was a tough one to lose, we just didn't have enough to come back and get it.”
Brandon Magee made his sixth start of the season for Auburn and even though he has yet to record a decision, for 5 2-3 innings he put his team in a great position to win. He threw seven strikeouts, one walk and allowed one earned run on five hits.
The Yankees didn't score until the fifth inning, on a Seth Fortenberry infield hit to second base with two runners on. By then, the Doubledays already had a familiar 2-0 lead, scoring both runs in the second inning just as they had the night before.
Jonathan Diaz hit a long sacrifice fly ball to right field to score Brian Jeroloman and with the next at-bat, Ben Zeskind drove in Shawn Scobee on a long single to center field.
Despite his recent slump at the plate, Diaz's statistics for the game (1-for-2, a stolen base two walks and two RBI) don't do him justice. He led the team at the plate and had several clutch plays at short stop, including three of his six total assists in the eighth and ninth innings.
His lone hit was a long shot to center field to score Matt Lane in the sixth, one of two runs scored in the inning to give Auburn some breathing room. His patience at the plate led him to be the only Doubledays batter to get on base in the ninth and eleventh innings.
“I would have him on my ball club anywhere, anytime,” Holmberg said of Diaz.
Kelly Sweppenhiser also played well after not playing since last Monday. Sweppenhiser had two hits, including a perfect bunt in the sixth to score Jeroloman.
But what could have been a comfortable 4-1 lead going into the seventh inning turned out to be anything but. Ron Lowe walked two Yankees on two outs and then Russell Raley smacked a two-run double to left center field to cut the Doubledays lead to one.
“The two-run seventh is what I am most disappointed about,” Holmberg said. “With Lowe walking (Wilkins Delarosa), we've talked about this thing in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. I want pitchers to come out of the bullpen and I want shutdown innings. You can't fall asleep at the wheel like this because the next thing you know, you're driving off the side of the road and that can't happen.”
A Brian Aragon solo home run to right field off of Seth Overbey in the ninth gave the Doubledays that sick, familiar feeling of another game slipping away.
Overbey and the Doubledays' defense did a good job of shutting down the Yankees in the tenth and eleventh innings but offensively, they were unable to come up with anything. Auburn collected just five hits in the entire game and those came in just the two innings they scored. Their lack of big plays on both sides of the ball is something that Holmberg partially attributes to the recent bad weather.
“With the slow process of not being to go the daily ground balls during daily batting practice and the infield practice and all that stuff did not help us at all,” Holmberg said. “It seems like everything was backed up because of all of the rain.”
Harrison got his first loss, and decision, of the season in his one inning on the mound.
The Yankees Nick Peterson upped his record to 1-1, while Paul Patterson earned his first save of the season. The Doubledays (14-18) are off today, but head on a six game road trip to Vermont (11-22) and State College (16-16) for the rest of the week. They return to Falcon Park on the July 31 when they host the Spikes.
The Citizens' Say
There are No comments posted.