The Florence Freedom split a pair of games with the River City Rascals Wednesday, running away with an 8-0 game-one victory before dropping the nightcap 1-0.
Game One: Florence 8, River City 0
Jeremy Gooding threw his second consecutive seven-inning shutout and the offense produced early to give the Freedom game one of the doubleheader.
Florence (32-42) raced out to an early advantage with four runs in the top of the first. Daniel Fraga led off the inning by lacing a double down the right-field line. Fraga came home on a one-out single from Andrew Godbold and Austin Newell followed with another base hit. The next batter, Collins Cuthrell, pulled a two-RBI double down the left-field line. Cuthrell moved to third on a stolen base and came home on a sacrifice fly from Jordan Brower.
After Jeremy Gooding tossed a pair of scoreless innings, the Freedom rallied again in the third. Oldham drew a walk and scored on an RBI double from Godbold. With two away, Brower grounded a single back up the middle, plating Godbold and putting the Freedom in front 6-0.
The Rascals got consecutive singles, their first hits against Gooding, in the fourth but a key double play stunted the rally and Florence escaped the jam. Gooding wrapped up his second straight seven-inning shutout, allowing five runs and two walks, while striking out three.
As Gooding continued to throw up zeros, Brower added two more for the Freedom. He drove in Fraga and Mason Salazar on a two-out single to left in the seventh.
Brower led the Florence offense with four RBIs on a pair of hits, while Fraga posted a three-hit game. Cuthrell and Godbold also added two hits and two driven in.
Clint Freeman had the only extra-base hit for the Rascals, a double in the ninth, as River City only sent two players to third base in the ballgame against Gooding. Zeb Sneed took the loss, allowing six runs in three innings.
Game Two: River City 1, Florence 0
Johnny Morales’ first-inning home run was all the Rascals needed to split the doubleheader.
Tony Vocca pitched very well in a starting role for the Freedom, allowing just one run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. After River City notched two hits in the first inning, Vocca sat down 10 batters in a row and the rest of River City’s three hits were infield singles.
Dan Ludwig made his debut for River City, tossing 5 1/3 innings of three-hit, shutout baseball. He walked two batters to lead off the ballgame, but both were caught out on the base paths before Godbold laced the Freedom’s only extra-base hit, a double to left center.
Pete Levitt forced a fielder’s choice after Vocca allowed a pair of infield singles in the sixth. Godbold, Josh Henderson, Brower and Garrett Vail combined for the Freedom’s four hits.
The rubber match between the Freedom and Rascals is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Thursday. Cody Gray (5-6, 4.05 ERA) will toe the rubber for Florence against Tim Koons (1-1, 4.23 ERA).
From Freedom Communications