For the first time in 2019, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, will take the field on Friday in the midst of a losing streak, as the Lake Erie Crushers swept a doubleheader, 6-5, and, 3-2, on Wednesday night, handing Florence their second and third straight losses.
Both walk-off defeats came in extra innings and Florence is now 6-2 in free baseball affairs this season.
With the score tied at 5 in the tenth inning of game one, Johnathon Tripp (3-3) issued back-back walks with one out as the Crushers (29-24) setup runners at first and second. Bryan DeLaRosa dropped a single to right next, but Brandon Pugh hosed Steven Kraft at the plate to extend the game as Brody Wofford attempted to score from second.
Down to their last out with runners on the edges, Kody Reudisili bounced a slow chopper to third that plated the winning run, as Luis Pintor pulled Taylor Bryant off the bag at first with a low throw to the base. Taking the loss in the 6-5 affair was Freedom (37-20) closer, Tripp, who blew the save in the ninth ahead of extras.
Florence scored first in the ballgame, plating a run in the top of the second on Tuesday night, before the game was suspended due to rain.
Andre Mercurio scored the run, reaching base on a single off Dylan Mouzakes, before scampering across the plate on a wild pitch from Jack Maynard to give the visitors the, 1-0, advantage. Mouzakes would exit the game after just 1.2 innings, suffering an injury that would prevent him from continuing his start.
The right-hander was charged with one earned run on one hit with no walks and two strikeouts on his way to the no-decision.
Jumping in front for the first time in the bottom of the fourth, Lake Erie scratched two runs across off Freedom starter, Mike Castellani. Kraft would get the two-run knock, guiding a double to right that scored Zach Racusin and Brody Wofford as the score became, 2-1.
Castellani, who started the game on Tuesday night and returned to the hill when the game resumed on Wednesday, went only five innings, allowing four hits and two runs, one earned with one walk and a pair of whiffs. The southpaw would take the no-decision in the contest.
Florence surged ahead by one courtesy a three-run top half of the seventh that made the score, 4-3.
Three straight singles started the inning before Connor Crane produced the first run of the sequence on a sacrifice-fly. The RBI upped Crane’s team leading total to 36. Caleb Lopes followed with a clutch two-out, two-run single that gave the Freedom a one-run lead.
Answering the bell immediately, Lake Erie evened the score at 4 with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. Racusin delivered the goods, shooting an RBI-single to center that scored DeLaRosa from second.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the ninth, Florence jumping in front again when Ricky Ramirez Jr. found a soft spot in shallow left to score Lopes from second and push the Freedom ahead, 5-4.
The lead was short-lived again, as Aaron Hill turned on a Tripp first pitch fastball, lining his ninth homer of the season to left field after two quick outs were recorded.
Earning the win in relief after a clean top half of the tenth was right-hander, Dalton Geekie (2-2).
Game two was a pitcher’s duel between the two top teams in opposite divisions.
The Crushers took the game’s first lead out of the gates, courtesy of Emmanuel Marrero’s tenth big-fly of the season, a solo-shot off Florence starter, Reece Calvert.
Brandon Pugh helped the Freedom even the score in the top of the second, laying down a bunt single before rounding the bases on a throwing error from the pitcher Paul Hall Jr. as the score stalemated at 1.
Lake Erie would take another lead in their side of the second, using a Karl Ellison single that plated Kraft from second after a single of his own earlier in the frame.
Mercurio turned on his second long-ball of the season when the Freedom came to the plate in the third, knotting the score at two apiece.
Hall, who was making his Crushers debut on the bump, surrendered the big-fly before getting pulled one-out shy of being win-eligible in the fifth. The lefty would allow the two runs, one earned on six scattered hits with two walks and seven strikeouts en route to the no-decision.
Calvert settled in after the hot start from Lake Erie, finishing his night with four shut-out frames after the second inning. The righty would take the no-decision in what became his first quality start of the campaign, going six strong innings and allowing two earned runs on eight hits with no walks and six whiffs.
After a scoreless inning of relief in the seventh from southpaw, Karl Craigie, right-hander, Joe Mortillaro ascended the bump in the bottom of the eighth with the score still dead-locked at, 2-2. Mortillaro got a quick out, before surrendering a walk-off homer to Dale Burdick as the Crushers stole the, 3-2, victory.
Earning the win in relief was righty, Kent Hasler (3-2), who went the final 3.1 innings after Hall was removed on the way to win number three of the year.
Florence will hope to salvage a win in the finale on Thursday, trotting out right-hander, Daniel Williams (3-1, 3.92) opposite righty, Alex Romero (2-2, 3.75) for the Crushers. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. ET at Sprenger Stadium.
Florence Freedom