After last night’s historic walkoff home run from Gleider Figuereo split the first-ever double header played in Fifth Third Park, Hub City looked to create a new win streak on Friday night while trying to ensure at least a split in the 6-game set with the Aberdeen Ironbirds. Dalton Pence (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who earned the win in relief in the series opener on Tuesday, got the start and was party to an early mutual no-hitter.
Pence went through the order just once, facing the minimum in all three no-hit innings he worked despite walking the leadoff man in the top of the 2nd (he was later caught stealing for the first out) with 2 strikeouts. On the other end, Ironbird left hander Luis De Leon one-upped Pence with a perfect game that he held through 4 innings.
Keith Jones broke up the no-no with a single to start that frame, but was later forced at 2nd on a fielder’s choice Dylan Dreiling reached on. Anthony Gutierrez followed with a knock and with 1 out, Casey Cook delivered a bloop single into the bermuda triangle in shallow left to score Dreiling. Yeison Morrobel then drew a walk to load the bases, but no further damage could be done as Arturo Disla popped up to the 2nd baseman in shallow right to end the inning.
Dj McCarty came on to start the 4th inning in relief of Pence and got into some trouble after beaning leadoff man and center fielder Austin Overn. Right fielder and UNC alum Vance Honeycutt followed with a walk. Both runners advanced into scoring position on a fly ball to center, but DJ settled in and struck out 2nd baseman Aron Estrada and got shortstop Leandro Arias to ground out to short to get out of it. McCarty came back out for the fifth and worked a 3 up three down frame. But, trouble struck again in the top of the 6th.
Aberdeen’s 9, 1, and 2 hitters singled in succession to start the frame – the third of which scored the tying run. Pinch hitter Aneudis Mordan then laid down a sacrifice bunt that was rather eventful. The lead runner broke for the plate a bit late, and appeared to not touch the plate on a head first slide that narrowly beat a dart from Arturo Disla to Julian Brock. He was ultimately called safe, representing the go-ahead run. Estrada added one more on a base knock to give the Ironbirds a 3-1 lead.
From that point on, the story of the game became a mutual agreement on one baseball cliche.. “Answer runs with runs.”
Hub City pulled back within a run in each of the next 2 innings, first cashing in a leadoff double from Gutierrez with an errant pickoff throw and a 1 out single from Casey Cook. The Spartanburgers threatened to tie it, but left Cook at 2nd. Aberdeen got it back on a 1 out RBI single from Overn that plated DH Angel Tejada, who reached earlier in the inning on a fielder’s choice and stole 2nd. In the home half of the 7th, Julian Brock led off with a single, advanced on 2 wild pitches, eventually scoring on a 2 out knock from Gutierrez. But, once again the ‘Birds responded. Estrada walked with 1 out, Leandro Arias singled, and Stafford walked to load the bases. A wild pitch brought home the lone run out of the jam, but it pushed the lead to 5-3.
After an empty 8th, Aberdeen added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Adonis Villavicencio walked Overn with 1 away. A stolen base with a fielding error on Casey Cook put a man on third and with 2 out, Dylan Dreiling misplayed a fly ball deep in center for a run scoring E8, making for a 3 run deficit going to the bottom of the ninth.
Hub City rallied in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases with 2 out, and Casey Cook came up with his 4th hit of the game, plating 2 runs. The tying run was waved around, and in a controversial call, was out at the plate 9-4-2 despite appearing to have gotten his hand in before the tag on his elbow, making for a 6-5 loss.
The Spartanburgers will take another crack at securing at least a split tomorrow at 6:35 as Mason Molina will make his first home start opposite Aberdeen right hander Michael Forret.
