The Florence Freedom combined to toss a four-hit shutout Monday in a 6-0 win over the Windy City ThunderBolts.
In the Freedom’s (23-32) first shutout of the season, Florence starter Cody Gray was sensational, tossing seven shutout innings and only allowing four base runners (two hits and two walks). Gray sat down the final 13 batters that he faced in the game. Out of the bullpen, TJ Bozeman threw a 1-2-3 eighth before Tony Vocca shut the door in the ninth with the help of some sensational defense. Travis Weaver laid out for a ground ball up the middle and flipped to Daniel Fraga who turned the 6-4-3 game-ending double play.
Fraga opened the scoring for the Freedom in the third. Weaver singled through the left side, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Fraga’s single to center.
As Gray continued to mow down Windy City (26-29) hitters, the Freedom’s offense sparked again in the sixth. Andre Mercurio drew a walk and moved to third on a sacrifice fly from Fraga. Taylor Oldham followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, extending the Florence lead.
The Freedom added two more in the seventh to take a 4-0 lead. Josh Henderson led off the inning with a single before Collins Cuthrell delivered a double to bring Henderson home from first. After Isaac Wenrich moved Cuthrell to third with a deep fly ball, Andre Mercurio laid down a two-out bunt single to score Cuthrell.
The Freedom added one more in the eighth and the ninth. Both rallies started with doubles and ended with two-out singles. Oldham doubled to lead off the eighth and scored on a Cuthrell base hit, before Fraga doubled with the bases empty and two outs in the ninth and came home on Oldham’s knock to center.
Both Oldham (4-for-5) and Cuthrell (2-for-4) knocked in two runs for the Freedom. Six different players scored the six runs and eight of the nine starters reached base.
Tyler Murphy took the loss for Windy City, while Johnny Eierman had the only extra-base hit for the ThunderBolts, a leadoff double in the third. Windy City’s best chance to score came in the third with two men on and Corey Bass at the plate. Gray struck out Bass and Wenrich snapped a perfect snap throw to first, picking off Tim Zier to end the inning.
The Freedom look for their third win in a row Tuesday when they face Windy City in game two of the three-game set. Florence’s Marty Anderson and Windy City’s Kyle Von Roden will both make their first appearances of the season in the 10:35 a.m. start.
From Freedom Communications