Gardner saves the day, Auburn wins in extras
NEW YORK, NY - Trailing 6-5 with two outs and nobody on in the top of the ninth, the Doubledays seemed destined for a sixth loss in eight games, a disappointing 2-4 road trip, and a long ride back to Auburn.
Jeff Gardner decided to do something about that.
The Nationals' 2014 eighth-rounder clubbed a forget-it bomb to right to the tie the game, and the Doubledays went on to defeat the Staten Island Yankees 7-6 in 10 innings at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
Gardner's homer, on a 1-1 offering from Yankee reliever David Palladino, was his third tater of the season and second on the trip. He hit a moonshot to right-center in Thursday's 14-3 blowout win over the Brooklyn Cyclones. But this, a home run that brought the Doubledays their second straight win and sent them back to Auburn in sole possession of third place in the Pinckney Division, was so much sweeter.
It would have meant nothing without some hard work in the top of the tenth. Matt Page hit a one-out single to left and was immediately pinch-run for by Willie Medina. The speedy middle infielder brazenly stole second with two out and Clay Williamson at the plate. Williamson followed by poking a fly into left that fell in front of Chris Breen for a base hit. Medina, running hard the whole way, scored the winning run for the Doubledays. David Ramos pitched a 1-2-3 tenth for his first save of the season.
The Doubledays have dominated in extra innings this year. Auburn has played free baseball three times this season, and in each, the team has scored and won in the first extra inning. Page smacked a walkoff single in the bottom of the 10th on June 23 to beat Mahoning Valley 4-3, and Bryan Langlois hit a sac fly and Cody Gunter followed with a three-run homer in a tense 6-4 win in the Game 2 eighth inning of a July 4 doubleheader in Williamsport. The Doubledays have outscored their opponents 6-2 in extra inning contests, winning all three games.
Other Doubledays had excellent afternoons on Staten Island. Chris Riopedre led off the game and had two singles, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Austin Davidson had two hits and an RBI, and pitcher Manny Rodriguez threw another successful rehab outing on his way back from multiple Tommy John surgeries.
The Doubledays return to Falcon Park for a six-game homestand, starting with Tompkins Trust Company Night against the Tri-City Valleycats on Wednesday. RHP James Bourque (1-3, 3.27) takes the hill for Auburn against Tri-City RHP Joe Musgrove (4-1, 3.88). Free general admission tickets are available at Tompkins Trust Company.