In what could amount to a West Division winner take all three-game series in the final set of the regular-season, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, were blanked by the River City Rascals, 8-0, in the opener on Friday night at CarShield Field.
Freedom (49-45) starter, Christian DeLeon (7-5) battled some command issues early, as the Rascals (50-44) took the game’s first lead in the bottom of the second.
Zach Lavy put the home-team on top, lifting a sacrifice-fly to right field after a pair of free passes and a single loaded the bases. DeLeon would escape the jam allowing minimal damage, inducing Ransom LaLonde into an inning-ending double play one batter later.
Lefty, Jonny Ortiz (8-2) was superb all night for the Rascals, failing to allow a pair of runners to reach base in the same inning while scattering four hits, all in separate frames, over his first eight shut-out innings of work.
The southpaw would finish the night two outs shy of a complete-game, allowing multiple base-runners to reach in the same inning for the first time in the ninth, when the Freedom got a trio of singles from Austin Wobrock, Skyler Ewing and Ricky Ramirez Jr. to load the bases. The hurler struck-out six and did not walk anybody.
River City blew the game open in the fourth.
After the first two hitters flew-out to start the frame, a single, walk, and a two-run double from LaLonde made it a, 3-0, affair. DeLeon responded by walking Kevin Suarez, spelling the end of his night after 3.2 innings of work.
Freedom skipper, Dennis Pelfrey, turned to righty Sam Martin first in relief, but Martin could not stop the bleeding. A pair of consecutive singles off the reliever loaded the bases, this time for Clint Freeman. Freeman proceeded to lift a towering grand slam to right-center, increasing the Rascals margin to, 8-0, after four.
River City batted around in the 32 minute half inning, sending seven men to the plate and connecting for five hits while down to their last out.
DeLeon was charged with five runs on four hits, with three walks and one strikeout in the loss.
With the bases loaded and Tanner Wilt on the bump in relief of Ortiz in search of the final two outs in the ninth, the Freedom saw Keivan Berges strike-out and Jordan Brower line-out to third.
With the win, the Rascals will hold on to first-place in the West Division by virtue of the tiebreaker over Evansville. With the loss, the Freedom must win the final two games of the weekend series over River City to qualify for the post-season. Florence can still win the West with a pair of wins coupled with two Otters losses in the last two games of their weekend tilt with Normal. With one-more Evansville win, the Freedom must win-out to secure the final wild card spot in the 2018 Frontier League Playoffs.
Game two between the Freedom and Rascals is slated for 6:35 p.m. CT in O’Fallon, Missouri. It will be a battle between two rookie right-handers on the mound, Tyler Gibson for Florence opposite Dalton Roach for the Rascals in the middle-game at CarShield Field.
The Florence Freedom are members of the Independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY. The Freedom can be found online at florencefreedom.com, or by phone at (859) 594-4487.
Florence Freedom