In a game that had five lead changes, four homeruns and nine pitchers used between the two teams, wouldn't you expect to hear the game went to extra innings? Well that's not the case here as the Bluefield Blue Jays and Johnson City Cardinals needed nine innings to complete
In a game that had five lead changes, four homeruns and nine pitchers used between the two teams, wouldn't you expect to hear the game went to extra innings? Well that's not the case here as the Bluefield Blue Jays and Johnson City Cardinals needed nine innings to complete the 8-7 walk-off victory for the Blue Jays.
After an intentional walk, David Oca was faced with a bases loaded jam and 1 out. He managed to strikeout Jose Theran of the Blue Jays and bring the game to an end. However, with the bases loaded, two strikes and in the bottom of the ninth, and a tie ball game… DJ Daniels singled on a line drive to left fielder, Leandro Cedeno and that allowed Dominic Abbadessa scored the game winning run and Bluefield took game 1 by a final score of 8-7.
The scoring began in the top of the first on a 2-RBI double by Cardinals Catcher, Zach Jackson. Everything seemed to be working for the Cardinals early, scoring first and having a shutout first inning in the field. After a strong first two innings from starting pitcher Oneiver Diaz, the Blue Jays tried to fight back.
In the bottom of the third, Luis De Los Santos hit a two-run homerun and tied the game at two. However, that lead didn't last long because in the top of the fourth, Nolan Gorman homered to break the tie and make it 3-2 in favor of the Cardinals. After Donivan Williams was hit by a pitch and Luis Flores walked, Moises Castillo hit an RBI single to make the game 4-2.
The Cardinals continued their strong game by shutting down the Blue Jays in the fourth inning and taking a 4-2 lead in to the top of the fifth where another Cardinal managed to put another homerun in the stat column, this time from Leandro Cedeno. That homerun made the game 5-2, which was the biggest deficit of the game.
Bluefield didn't give up, they kept coming after the Cardinals. The Blue Jays scored one run in the fifth and two runs in the sixth inning to tie the game at five.
After both teams shut each other out in the seventh inning, the Cardinals put a run up on the board in the eighth inning on a Brian Sanchez homerun. The Blue Jays managed to tie the game at six in the bottom of the eighth inning off a DJ Neal RBI double.
The seesaw battle continued into the top of the ninth, when the Cardinals scored one run to take a 7-6 lead off of an RBI single from Dariel Gomez who pinch hit for first baseman Kevin Woodall. With the way these two teams clawed at each other in the middle and late innings, you had to think that Bluefield had some fight left and they did. Bluefield had their first two batters, Luis De Los Santos and Alejandro Kirk, get on base to start the inning. John Aiello singled and De Los Santos scored, beating out a throw from Cardinals right fielder, Brian Sanchez. Aiello was able to move up to second, and Dominic Abbadessa, the pinch runner for Alejandro Kirk, moved up to third. Bluefield was in a great position with runners on second and third, tie ball game, one out, and in the bottom of the ninth. David Oca did bounce back in a big way with a HUGE strikeout of Jose Theran, but DJ Daniels managed to single in the game winning run and give Bluefield the season opener victory, 8-7.
The Cardinals look to bounce back tomorrow and even the series. After Thursday's finale at Bluefield, the Cardinals return home to TVA Credit Union Ballpark for a three-game weekend series against the Kingsport Mets.
