AUBURN - He didn't get a ring like the other five players returning from the 2007 roster, but what Dan O'Brien earned on Tuesday night was almost as valuable.
Glenn Gaston / Special to The Citizen
Auburn's winning pitcher Dan O'Brien unloads against Batavia in Tuesday's season-opener at Falcon Park.
Auburn's winning pitcher Dan O'Brien unloads against Batavia in Tuesday's season-opener at Falcon Park.
Over two hours after the championship flag in center field was raised and the championship rings were ceremoniously handed out in front of a standing room only crowd at Falcon Park, the Auburn Doubledays' pitcher walked off the field with his first win in well over a year. Though he was on Auburn's official roster last season, the 23-year old Chicago native spent the season rehabing from shoulder surgery. That rehabilitation came full circle when he spent the sixth, seventh and eighth innings on the hill, striking out four of nine batters in Auburn's 4-2 win over Batavia.
“He came here two years ago and maybe pitched three or four games,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “He had surgery and had to go through almost two years of rehab. It was nice to see him come back and make a contribution like that.”
“This was pretty much my first outing since July 2006,” O'Brien said. “To get back out in Auburn, it was nice to get out here and get the first win of the season. My command was there tonight, my catcher did a great job of calling the game and it really worked out tonight.”
Also returning with a bang after a tough season was Jonathan Baksh, who is back in Auburn after playing a season in Class A Lansing. Baksh was the only Doubleday to reach base in every at-bat, scoring the go-ahead run in the sixth inning on one of four Muckdog errors. In the seventh, he brought in the insurance run on a line drive double.
“Jonathan certainly deserved to start in front of the home crowd, I knew he wouldn't be shaken by too many nerves,” Holmberg said. “He's been there, done that and he's persevered. He's been working hard and that's really nice for him tonight.”
The Muckdogs put up both of their runs in the third inning off Doubledays' starter Matt Wright. Wright threw 2 2-3 solid innings, allowing just the two hits and striking out six, all in order.
Colt Sedrook and Beau Riportella earned consecutive RBI singles to give Batavia its only lead. Ripertella's double to put him in scoring position was the only other Muckdogs' hit, as Auburn didn't allow a hit after the runs crossed the plate.
The quartet of Doubledays pitchers fanned 15 batters, with each hurler striking out at least two. Castillo Perez succeeded Wright, going 2 1-3 innings and striking out four, while Justin Cryer struck out two in his one inning of work in the ninth.
“The pitching was very good all the way around,” Holmberg said. “They worked fast, they changed speeds, very few work from behind in the counts - they were always one strike ahead for the most part and it was just a great night.”
“Obviously, there are some things that we need to work on,” O'Brien said. “But for the most part, we all let the defense make the plays and made some pitches, so it went pretty well.”
The Doubledays totaled five hits as a team. Leadoff batter Chris Demons earned a sacrifice RBI to score catcher Joel Collins to put Auburn on the board in the fifth. Toronto Blue Jays' first-round pick, David Cooper, then cracked a two-out fielder's choice that scored Bryan Kervin. With the second at-bat of the inning, Kervin smacked a double just minutes after making an acrobatic catch at shortstop.
Offensively, I thought we would be collectively a little bit better,“ Holmberg said. ”We were just good enough to score enough to win. When you get the pitching and defense together like that though, it happens.“
Not helping Batavia's lagging offense was its defense. Catcher Blake Murphy badly overthrew first baseman Xavier Scruggs on a dropped third strike, which allowed the speedy Baksh to score from second base.
In the next inning, a rare double error led to the game's final score. Batavia shortstop Jose Garcia bobbled a seemingly easy ground ball hit by Adam Amar, allowing him to reach first. Garcia then sailed the ball over Scruggs' head to put Doubledays' runners on second and third with two outs and Baksh took advantage in his turn at the plate.
“This was a good way to start the season,” Holmberg said. “The best part was seeing Dan O'Brien come off the shelf after spending about a year away. A contribution like the one he had, speaks volumes about that kid.”
Today, the New York-Penn League champs take their show on the road to Batavia before returning to Auburn Thursday.
Notes: Hitting coach Charlie Poe entered into his first game in Auburn on Tuesday, the first-year Doubledays hitting coach was cut from Class AA Birmingham to make room for Michael Jordan when he decided to play professional baseball in 1994. ...Auburn is now 11-2 over Batavia, dating back to last season's opener, when the Doubledays fell 7-0 in the first official game of the year. ...Falcon Park packed in 2,052 for the 2:27 minute contest. ... Zachary Pitts suffered the loss, pitching just the sixth and seventh. ...Chris Pinckney, wife of the late Leo Pinckney, and members of Chuck Savage's family, were among those gathered in the infield for the pregame ceremony.
D-days Today
Record: 1-0
Standings: First place
Streak: 1 win
Next: at Batavia, today, 7 p.m.
“He came here two years ago and maybe pitched three or four games,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “He had surgery and had to go through almost two years of rehab. It was nice to see him come back and make a contribution like that.”
“This was pretty much my first outing since July 2006,” O'Brien said. “To get back out in Auburn, it was nice to get out here and get the first win of the season. My command was there tonight, my catcher did a great job of calling the game and it really worked out tonight.”
Also returning with a bang after a tough season was Jonathan Baksh, who is back in Auburn after playing a season in Class A Lansing. Baksh was the only Doubleday to reach base in every at-bat, scoring the go-ahead run in the sixth inning on one of four Muckdog errors. In the seventh, he brought in the insurance run on a line drive double.
“Jonathan certainly deserved to start in front of the home crowd, I knew he wouldn't be shaken by too many nerves,” Holmberg said. “He's been there, done that and he's persevered. He's been working hard and that's really nice for him tonight.”
The Muckdogs put up both of their runs in the third inning off Doubledays' starter Matt Wright. Wright threw 2 2-3 solid innings, allowing just the two hits and striking out six, all in order.
Colt Sedrook and Beau Riportella earned consecutive RBI singles to give Batavia its only lead. Ripertella's double to put him in scoring position was the only other Muckdogs' hit, as Auburn didn't allow a hit after the runs crossed the plate.
The quartet of Doubledays pitchers fanned 15 batters, with each hurler striking out at least two. Castillo Perez succeeded Wright, going 2 1-3 innings and striking out four, while Justin Cryer struck out two in his one inning of work in the ninth.
“The pitching was very good all the way around,” Holmberg said. “They worked fast, they changed speeds, very few work from behind in the counts - they were always one strike ahead for the most part and it was just a great night.”
“Obviously, there are some things that we need to work on,” O'Brien said. “But for the most part, we all let the defense make the plays and made some pitches, so it went pretty well.”
The Doubledays totaled five hits as a team. Leadoff batter Chris Demons earned a sacrifice RBI to score catcher Joel Collins to put Auburn on the board in the fifth. Toronto Blue Jays' first-round pick, David Cooper, then cracked a two-out fielder's choice that scored Bryan Kervin. With the second at-bat of the inning, Kervin smacked a double just minutes after making an acrobatic catch at shortstop.
Offensively, I thought we would be collectively a little bit better,“ Holmberg said. ”We were just good enough to score enough to win. When you get the pitching and defense together like that though, it happens.“
Not helping Batavia's lagging offense was its defense. Catcher Blake Murphy badly overthrew first baseman Xavier Scruggs on a dropped third strike, which allowed the speedy Baksh to score from second base.
In the next inning, a rare double error led to the game's final score. Batavia shortstop Jose Garcia bobbled a seemingly easy ground ball hit by Adam Amar, allowing him to reach first. Garcia then sailed the ball over Scruggs' head to put Doubledays' runners on second and third with two outs and Baksh took advantage in his turn at the plate.
“This was a good way to start the season,” Holmberg said. “The best part was seeing Dan O'Brien come off the shelf after spending about a year away. A contribution like the one he had, speaks volumes about that kid.”
Today, the New York-Penn League champs take their show on the road to Batavia before returning to Auburn Thursday.
Notes: Hitting coach Charlie Poe entered into his first game in Auburn on Tuesday, the first-year Doubledays hitting coach was cut from Class AA Birmingham to make room for Michael Jordan when he decided to play professional baseball in 1994. ...Auburn is now 11-2 over Batavia, dating back to last season's opener, when the Doubledays fell 7-0 in the first official game of the year. ...Falcon Park packed in 2,052 for the 2:27 minute contest. ... Zachary Pitts suffered the loss, pitching just the sixth and seventh. ...Chris Pinckney, wife of the late Leo Pinckney, and members of Chuck Savage's family, were among those gathered in the infield for the pregame ceremony.
D-days Today
Record: 1-0
Standings: First place
Streak: 1 win
Next: at Batavia, today, 7 p.m.
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