Brilliant Doubledays arms blank Crosscutters

AUBURN, NY - Friday night's game at Falcon Park began with a 90 minute rain delay. But thanks to some stellar pitching, the Doubledays managed to make up for lost time.

Anderson Martinez (2-2), RC Orlan, and Mario Sanchez combined for a five-hit shutout as the Auburn Doubledays blanked the Williamsport Crosscutters 4-0 under the Friday night lights.

Martinez was sensational, pitching a career high six innings and allowing just two hits and a walk. At one point, the Venezuelan hurler retired nine Cutters in a row, a stretch from two out in the first to two out in the fourth. Martinez notched three 1-2-3 innings and did not allow more than one baserunner in an inning.

Orlan entered in the seventh and worked himself our of a first-and-second jam, fanning Emmanuel Serra to end the inning. The North Carolina product followed with a clean eighth, setting up Sanchez for the ninth. The Doubledays All-Star reliever tossed a solid final frame to earn Auburn its first nine-inning shutout victory of the 2014 season.

The offense came to play, as well. Raudy Read launched a solo home run in the first inning, his team-leading sixth of the season. Jeff Gardner singled home Bryan Langlois in the seventh as part of a 3-for-3 evening. In the eighth, Read doubled to the wall in right-center to bring home Jose Marmolejos, and Langlois rapped an RBI single three batters later to give the Doubledays their final 4-0 edge.

Auburn and Williamsport play the second of their three-game set on Saturday night at Falcon Park. RHP Luis Torres (1-1, 1.63) takes the ball for the Doubledays against Cutters RHP David Whitehead (4-3, 2.61).