Sweet Victory 16
NORWICH, CT- Four Hudson Valley Renegades pitchers combined to strikeout 16 Connecticut Tigers in a 2-1 Hudson Valley win Saturday night at Dodd Stadium. The strikeouts were a season-high and offset only two Renegades hits in the game.
For the second night in a row it was Connecticut getting on the board first with a run in the first inning. Daniel Woodrow led off the inning with a single to right before moving to second on a walk to Jacob Robson. Cole Baumi followed that with a fielder's choice groundout to second, which retired Robson and put runners at first and third with one out. Blaise Salter then came to the plate and lined a soft single into right to score Woodrow and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Connecticut had several chances to expand on their lead. They would later load the bases in the first before Will Savage struck out to end the inning. They got runners to first and second with two out in the second before Woodrow was thrown out trying to steal third, ending the threat. They again got runners at first and second, this time with no one out, in the third before Renegades reliever Brandon Lawson got two fly outs and a groundout to get out of the jam.
The squandered opportunities allowed Hudson Valley to take the lead with a two-run fifth. Second baseman Miles Mastrobuoni started the frame with a walk before moving second on a wild pitch. The next two hitters were retired when centerfielder Jake Fraley brought home Mastrobuoni with a triple to right. The Renegades took the lead when the next hitter, left fielder Garrett Whitley, reached on a fielding error by Tigers third baseman Hunter Swilling. Farley came in to score and gave Hudson Valley a 2-1 lead.
But the story again was the Renegades pitching. After a two-out, fourth-inning single by Robson, Hudson Valley hurlers retired 16 of the final 18 men they faced. Twice the Renegades struck out the side, and three times they recorded all three outs via strikeout. The only inning where the Tigers did not strike out was in the fourth.
Though he didn't get the win, reliever Deivy Mendez led the way by registering six strikeouts in three hitless innings from the fifth through the seventh. Reliever Brandon Lawson (5-1) got his team-leading fifth win after tossing two scoreless innings and striking out three. He got the win despite giving up four hits in those two frames. Closer Jayson McKinley picked up four strikeouts in two frames while nailing down his fourth save. Southpaw Travis Ott started the game and gave up a run on three hits in two frames. He also struck out three.
Though he pitched well, starter Locke St. John (3-7) took the loss for Connecticut after allowing two runs on only two hits in six innings of work. He also walked four and struck out four others.
Ironically, both of the Renegades hits were triples; the RBI triple by Fraley in the fifth, and a two-out triple by right fielder Ryan Boldt in the first. The Tigers had eight hits and were led by Salter who went 2-4 with an RBI. Connecticut was 1-9 with runners in scoring position and five baserunners were left in scoring position.
The Renegades will go for the sweep Sunday when they face the Connecticut Tigers in a 4:05 start. Left-hander Brock Burke (1-2, 3.49 ERA) will go for Hudson Valley against fellow lefty Gregory Soto (2-1, 2.86 ERA) of the Tigers. It will also be the final game before the All-Star Break. Speaking of which, the Hudson Valley Renegades will host the 2016 New York-Penn League All-Star Game presented by Marist College on Tuesday, August 16th. First pitch is slated for 7:25 and will be followed by a fireworks show. For tickets, call 845-838-0094 or go to hvrenegades.com.