A ‘Boot’iful Win

Crucial Spinners Error Leads Gades to Extra-Inning Win

LOWELL, MA—Despite giving up a three-run eighth-inning lead, the Hudson Valley Renegades used a crucial fielding error by the Lowell Spinners to win 6-5 in 10 innings Tuesday evening at Edward A. LeLacheur Park.  It was the Renegades first extra-inning win and only their second extra-inning contest of the season.

In fact, the Renegades bookended their scoring with Spinners errors as two of the six runs were unearned beginning with one in the first. With two out and the bases empty, rightfielder Hill Alexander reached on a throwing error by Lowell third baseman Nick Northcutt.  First baseman Jacson McGowan followed with a double to center to score Alexander and put the Renegades on the board.

The Spinners got the run right back in the bottom-half.  Second baseman Cameron Cannon reached on an infield single to first.  With two away, designated hitter Joe Davis lined a single to right which moved Cannon to third.  Northcutt followed with a single of his own into right to score Cannon and tie the game.

However, Hudson Valley would storm back by scoring the game’s next three runs.  Centerfielder Garrett Hiott and catcher Jordyn Muffley led off the second with back-to-back singles.  A wild pitch moved both runners up before leftfielder K.V. Edwards lifted a one-out sacrifice fly to left to left to plate Hiott and push the Renegades in front.

They added two more runs in the third to take a 4-1 lead.  Alexander started the frame with a triple to center then scored when McGowan brought him in on a sac fly to center.  Designated hitter Jonathan Embry stood in next and ripped a double to right.  Two batters later, with two out, Hiott blooped an RBI single to left and Hudson Valley led by three.

Lowell would get a run back in the fourth.  After two singles by catcher Jaxx Gorshans and rightfielder Nick Decker started the inning, a double play ball moved Gorshans to third with two away.  Shortstop Antoni Flores then roped an RBI single to center to bring in Gorshans and close the Renegades’ lead to two.

However, the Renegades would get the run back in the seventh.  With one out, Edwards reached on an infield single to short.  He then scored when shortstop Greg Jones rifled a double to left as Hudson Valley extended its lead to 5-2.

But back would come the Spinners with three runs in the eighth to tie the game.  Two walks and a single loaded the bases with nobody out before Gorshans grounded into a fielder’s choice to short to score a run and put runners at the corners with one away. Decker came up next and slapped an RBI single to right to make the score 5-4 as Gorshans advanced to second.  Will Dalton replaced Gorshans as a pinch runner as Marino Campana grounded out to short, sending Dalton to third and Decker to second. Hudson Valley reliever Andrew Gross then uncorked a wild pitch to plate Dalton and tie the game at five.

Things would stay that way until the 10^th.  With Edwards at second to begin the inning, Jones advanced him to third on a groundout.  After Alexander went down swinging for out number two, McGowan grounded a ball to third that should have ended the inning.  However, Northcutt booted the ball for his second error of the game, which scored Edwards and gave Hudson Valley a 6-5 lead.

The Spinners started their half of the 10^th with Scott at second base.  However, Renegades relief man Eleardo Cabrera got a fly out and two strikeouts to end the game and earn the win.  He moved to 1-0 by tossing two shutout innings on no hits with two strikeouts.  The loss fell to the Spinners Kris Jackson (2-3) after he allowed the unearned run in the 10^th on a hit with three strikeouts in two innings.

Each team had 10 hits.  Edwards, again, led the way for Hudson Valley by going 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.  Hiott also had two hits for the Renegades with an RBI and run as well.  Decker led Lowell by going 3-4 with a double and RBI.  Cannon chipped in by going 2-5 with a double and run as well.

Hudson Valley now heads to Connecticut to begin a three-game series tomorrow in a 7:05 start.  The Renegades will start right-hander Edisson Gonzalez (4-2, 3.18 ERA) against fellow-righty Marco Jimenez (2-1, 5.40 ERA) of the Tigers.

The Renegades return home on Saturday, August 17 when they start a three-game series with the Staten Island Yankees beginning at 6:05.  Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at hvrenegades.com, at the Dutchess Stadium ticket window, or by calling the ticket office at (845) 838-0094.