Mapes literally hangs on for thrilling Doubledays win
ABERDEEN, MD - Here's a game that really started and ended with a bang.
Raudy Read launched a two-run home run in the top of the first, and Tyler Mapes made a brilliant catch from his backside in the bottom of the ninth as the Doubledays beat the Ironbirds 5-3 on Sunday night in Aberdeen.
With Jose Marmolejos on first and two down in the top of the first, Read crushed a Steve Johnson offering over the wall in left-center to get the Doubledays on the board. It was Read's first home run as a Doubleday. He would reach base three times on the evening. The Doubledays got one more in the fifth on a Marmolejos RBI double to lead 3-0.
That was more than enough for starter Matt DeRosier (1-2), who picked up his first Doubledays win of 2014 on his 20th birthday. DeRosier was fabulous for five innings, scattering five hits and allowing one run with a walk and two strikeouts. The lone run came on a throwing error by Willie Medina off a pop-up that scored a tagging Austin Pfeiffer from third.
Aberdeen kept things interesting through the rest of the game. After the Doubledays picked up two insurance runs on an Osvaldo Abreu fielder's choice and a Cody Gunter triple, Ironbirds first baseman Riley Palmer homered off Deion Williams with two out in the sixth to cut the Auburn lead to 5-2. Aberdeen struck again in the eighth, when Jamill Moquete tripled in Palmer after Williams had retired the first two batters in the frame.
The ninth is where things got crazy. Mapes entered at the start of the inning and got Tad Gold to tap out to the mound on the first pitch. Oswill Lartiguez followed with a single, and Steve Wilkerson knocked Lartiguez over to third with a base hit of his own. That brought up the Ironbirds' top hitter, Austin Anderson, with runners on the corners and one out. Anderson lined the first pitch to Mapes, who threw his glove up and snagged the rocket out of thin air while falling to his posterior. Mapes stood up and calmly threw a shell-shocked Wilkerson out at first to end the game.
The Doubledays play the rubber match with the Ironbirds on Monday night at Ripken Stadium. Auburn RHP Drew Van Orden (0-2, 15.19) opposes Aberdeen LHP Stephen Tarpley (0-1, 7.36). Coverage begins with Doubledays Pregame at 5:20 on 98.1 FM and 1590 AM WAUB. Fans can download the WAUB app to their tablet or smartphone by searching for it on the app stores and Google Play, or they can stream the game on TuneIn here.