Doubledays turn to the Dark Side on Star Wars night
ABERDEEN, MD - The force is not with this one.
The Doubledays started strong, but a big Ironbirds sixth inning overwhelmed Auburn and snapped a three-game winning streak, 6-1 in front of 4,950 fans on Star Wars night in Aberdeen.
Things started well for the Doubledays. Austen Williams was spectacular in his second start of the season, striking out six of the first nine to face him and finishing with one run allowed on four hits through five innings.
Auburn struck first in the top of the fourth. With two out, Garrett Gordon singled up the middle off left-hander Matt Trowbridge, and Matt Page followed with one of his two hits on the night. Christopher Riopedre bounced one up the middle to second baseman Steve Wilkerson, whose throw to second was too late to force out Page. Gordon, running hard from contact, took everyone by surprise and scored from second without a throw.
The Ironbirds struck back in the bottom of the fifth. With runners on the corners and one out, Williams uncorked a wild pitch that scored Oswill Lartiguez from third and tied the game.
In the sixth, everything unraveled. Chase McDowell walked the leadoff man, then allowed soft singles to Austin Anderson and Alex Murphy, the latter of which drove in Justin Viele from third to give the Ironbirds the lead. Hector Veloz hit a sac fly to bring in Anderson, Murphy scored on a single by Lartiguez, and two batters later, Wilkerson deposited a 1-0 offering from McDowell over the right field wall to break the game open at 6-1.
The Doubledays can take their revenge tomorrow evening in the second of their three-game set with the Ironbirds. RHP Matt DeRosier (0-2, 7.71) makes his second start of the year against Aberdeen RHP Stephen Tarpley (0-1, 7.36).