Needing a win to stay in first place in the West Division, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, delivered a thrilling walk-off winner, 7-6, to beat the River City Rascals on Saturday night at UC Health Stadium.
Florence (50-35) got off to a fast start.
Scott Sebald offered a pair of shut-out innings to start the game and the Freedom scored twice in their second at-bat to take an early, 2-0 lead.
Isaac Benard started the rally.
He reached first on an infield single and took second on the first of six River City (48-36) errors in the contest.
Connor Crane laid down a bunt single that Braxton Martinez threw wildly to first, which allowed Benard to score.
Standing at third after back-to-back ground-outs to second, Crane scored on a dropped third strike to Taylor Bryant.
The Freedom added to its advantage in the third as Benard lifted a sacrifice-fly to center, scoring Ricky Ramirez Jr. and bumped the score to 3-0.
The Rascals jumped in front in their side of the sixth, plating five runs off a pair of Freedom pitchers.
Sebald started the inning but was pulled in favor of Jared Cheek after the first two batters reached, courtesy a single and walk.
Cheek walked the first man he faced, loading the bases, but struck out the next two-hitters to put the Freedom on the brink of another scoreless frame.
Andrew Penner delivered a clutch two-run single, with both runs charged to the Sebald.
Following a walk to Nolan Meadows that loaded the bases again, Martinez turned on a bases clearing double that propelled River City ahead, 5-3.
Sebald took a no-decision, his ninth of the year.
Florence answered in its side of the sixth and regained the lead, courtesy a trio of unearned runs.
Benard doubled to start the inning and Crane reached on catcher’s interference, putting runners at first and second.
With one out and runners at second and third, Austin Wobrock tapped a come-backer to River City starting pitcher, Taylor Ahearn, and Crane was aught in a rundown.
Ahearn threw wildly to third, allowing a run to score. The throw to the plate squirted away from catcher, James Morisano, and Wobrock crossed home plate as Florence jumped in front, 6-5.
Ahearn would exit after the gaffe, taking a no-decision following 5.1 innings with six runs (two earned), on five hits with one walk and five whiffs.
Yeison Medina finished the frame for River City, rolling a double-play to end the rally. Tanner Cable tossed a clean seventh for the Rascals, who used four pitchers in the loss.
After a scoreless seventh, Cheek came back to the bump for the Freedom to start the eighth, but Nick Anderson and Anthony Herrera reached via a walk and a single, prompting Freedom manager, Dennis Pelfrey to go to his closer, Karl Craigie (5-2) with runners on the corners and no outs.
Craigie limited the damage, surrendering an RBI-single to Meadows that tied the game at six, but wiggled out of trouble, stranding the bases loaded.
Craigie earned the win in relief, his fifth of the year, following a pair of shut-out innings in the eighth and ninth frames.
With Taylor Sugg (2-1) on the hill in the ninth, Florence built its final rally of the night.
Ricky Ramirez Jr. worked a one out walk, reached second on a botched ground-ball to short off the bat of Caleb Lopes. Penner made the miscue, the sixth and final error of the night for the visiting Rascals.
The mistake loomed large.
Andre Mercurio moved each runner up ninety feet with a slow-chopper back to the mound. With Benard at the plate and the Freedom down to their last out, the hitter smashed a game-winning single up the middle.
Ramirez Jr. crossed home as the home team prevailed, 7-6, in walk-off fashion.
With the win, the Freedom stay in first-place in the West Division, now 1.5 games up on the Rascals who come back to UC Health Stadium for the weekend finale on Sunday afternoon.
Florence will throw left-hander, George Faue (2-2, 4.50) opposite a TBD starter for River City, first pitch slated for 2:35 p.m.
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