'Birds Bash Doubledays, 11-6
Taking the hill for the IronBirds was the 6-1'' righty Patrick Kantakevich looking for his third win of the season. Thanks to some great defense by the 'Birds center fielder D'Oleo on a seed hit to deep center field by Ryan Schimpf and a sliding grab moving to his left by the shortstop Rosa to throw out Ryan Goins in the first inning Kantakevich would sit down the first six batters he would face and not allow a hit until the bottom of the fourth.
In the Aberdeen second inning Catcher Brian Ward would hit a one out single, Bonevacia would reach on an error by the Doubleday third baseman Brad Glenn and then T. J Baxter would hit a line shot to left field that Brisker the Doubleday left fielder took a terrible route to and at the last second leaped as the ball traveled over his head. Baxter would end up on third and both Ward and Bonevacia would score making it a 3-0 lead. The ever-steady Ty Kelly was up next and cleanly hit a sacrifice fly to score Baxter and up the lead to 4-0 Birds.
The IronBirds would only put one runner on base from the third through the fifth in the form of a walk to T.J Baxter in the fifth.
Auburn's bottom of the fourth started off with a single by Ryan Schimpf , a ground out that moved Schimpf to second. The Catcher Ochinko stepped up to the plate and hit a sharp ground ball to Rosa at shortstop. Rosa did a good job going to his right to glove the ball but then he threw the ball away. So Ochinko was awarded a hit and then he moved to second base on the E6 and Schimpf moved to third on the error. Welinton Ramirez then knocked a two-run double to make the score 4-2 after four.
Jamie Layman would come out of the bullpen for the Doubledays and sit down all six batters he would face in the 6th and seventh innings.
Kantakevich would retire the next ten batters he faced after allowing the two-run double in the fourth. Not until two outs in the seventh would he walk Durham and then give up a single to Eric Eiland the Doubleday centerfielder. Manager Gary Kendall decided he'd seen enough from Kantakevich and replaced him with the lefty Jake Smith. Smith immediately gave up a two-run double to tie the game at 4 all. Kantakevich's final line was 6.2 IP, four hits, four runs, all earned, two walks, and eight strikeouts.
With the score tied at 4 the game entered what has been dubbed the eventful eighth.
With Zack Outman on the mound (younger brother of A's pitcher Josh Outman) Kelly singled. Carolus hit into a fielder's choice but the shortstop Goins was ruled to be off the bag and everybody was safe. DH Dalles was up and he hit into a fielders choice. Outman went to Glenn at third to retire Kelly on the 1-5 put out. Right fielder Brian Conley stepped in and he hit into a fielder's choice that second baseman Schimpf threw into left field allowing Carolus to score, Dalles to second and Conley was safe at first. Shortstop Rosa would pop out and into the batters box stepped Rchard D'Oleo the deer. D'oleo would crush one way over the right field wall for a three run bomber that put the 'Birds ahead 8-4.
Now trailing by four runs in the bottom of the eighth the Doubledays went to work. Ochinko would work a one out walk followed by a Ramirez strike out and another walk to Gomes. First baseman Lance Durham cracked a two RBI double of Jake Smith and the score was 8-6 'Birds.
In the Aberdeen half of the ninth Kelly would single, followed by a Carolus double and a two run single by Dalles. Jason Rook would pinch run for Dalles following the single and after a Conley ground out Rosa would single to put Rook on third and the Deer would hit a sac fly scoring Rook to make the lead 11-6.
That would be the final score as Josh Dowdy replaced Smith after the two run double and would get the final out of the game. Jake Smith received the win; he moves to 2-1, Zack Outman would take the loss moving to 1-1.