The magic of the inaugural season for the Hub City Spartanburgers continues, as now for the first time in 37 years – since the 1988 Phillies, a Spartanburg professional baseball team is playing for a South Atlantic League championship.
After a dominant pitching performance from Hub City in game one of the series on Tuesday night at Fifth Third Park, the Hub City Spartanburgers found themselves heading to Bowling Green for game 2 of the series needing just 1 win to advance to the South Atlantic League Championship Series.
Caden Scarborough, the Rangers’ #8 overall prospect and top pitching prospect, took the hill for the Burgers looking to try and ensure that the series would not have to go to a winner-take-all game three. On the other side, the Hot Rods started former South Carolina Gamecock lefty and Hartsville native Garrett Gainey.
Things got off to a rocky start for Gainey after walking Casey Cook on 5 pitches to start the game. Maxton Martin followed it with a bloop single into right. But, they were left on as the next 3 went down in order to retire the side and squander an early scoring chance. Things were also a bit shaky for Scarborough, who had been effective through his first 13 innings of work at the High A level. He gave up a 1 out single to Aidan Smith, who later stole 2nd and took third on a flyout to left. After Nathan Flewelling drew a walk to put men on the corners, Scarborough induced an Angel Mateo pop up to short to end the inning with a scoreless tie intact.
That scoreless tie was broken in the ensuing half inning when once again Hub City got the leadoff man on and into scoring position with a double from John Taylor. Rafe Perich followed it with a blooper and then Arturo Disla put the ball in play with a sacrifice fly to left that was not caught for an error, scoring Taylor and allowing Disla to reach. After a sacrifice bunt from Luke Hanson for the first out of the inning, Casey Cook dealt a big blow with a 2 run single to give Hub City a 3-0 lead heading to the bottom of the 2nd.
Bowling Green struck back in the ensuing half inning when Blake Robertson led off with a base hit. After a fly ball to left for out number one, Daniel Vellojin cut the Burgers’ lead to one with a 2-run homer out of right. Scarborough then issued his 2nd walk of the game to Carlos Colmenarez, but got out of the inning with a 1-run lead by striking out Emilien Pitre and getting Smith to pop up to 2nd.
The Spartanburgers got a run back in the third by starting the inning with a leadoff batter reaching again. Ben Hartl doubled, and with 2 away, Rafe Perich hit a Baltimore Chopper through the 6 hole to up the ante to 4-2. Hub City got a leadoff single off Gary Gill Hill from Luke Hanson to start the 4th, who is normally a starter in the Hot Rods’ 6-man rotation. With 2 away, Malcolm Moore also came up with a knock, but Ben Hartle flew out to right to retire the side.
The Hot Rods managed to get some offense going in the home half of the frame. Scarborough gave up a leadoff double to Narciso Polanco, ending his night. He was replaced by Jesus Gamez, who retired his first 2 batters on strikes. Emelien Pitre started the 2 out rally with a single that was followed by a walk to Smith that loaded the bases for former UNC Tar Heel Mac Horvath, who delivered a single to left to score one. They waved Pitre around, but Casey Cook threw him out at the plate to end the inning and hold the lead at 4-3 heading to the 5th.
The Burgers had a scoring chance go to waste yet again in the top of the fifth after back to back 1 out 5-pitch walks to John Taylor and Rafe Peric when Disla grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Koltin Curtis came on for the bottom of the frame and had to work out of a jam himself. Flewelling started it with a single, and Mateo was plunked to follow. Curtis got the next three in order on a line drive to left, a pop up to short, and an unassisted groundout to 1st.
Casey Cook’s strong defensive night in left field continued in the bottom of the 6th after Curtis gave up a 1 out single to Pitre. Aidan Smith followed with a towering fly ball to left that Cook caught on a leap at the wall and threw in for a 7-6-3 relay to double off Pitre and preserve the lead heading to the 7th.
Hayden Snelsire proved to be a tough cookie for the Burgers to bite when he came into the game with 2 out and a man on third in the top of the 6th. He struck out the first 4 batters he faced. But after Curtis finally got burned playing with fire in the bottom of the 7th when the Rods cashed in a leadoff single from Horvath with a sac bunt and a 2 out RBI knock from Blake Robertson, Rafe Perich finally made contact off Snelsire – in a clutch way. He took a 3-1 pitch out of right field for a leadoff solo shot to put the Burgers back in front 5-4.
In the bottom of the frame, Hub City once again got out of a tight spot when Case Matter entered the game in relief of Curtis. With 1 down, Vellojin once again came up with a big hit for the Hot Rods when he lined a double off the fence near the right field corner. Pitre notched his third hit of the night with 2 out, singling to put men on the corners, but Smith flew out to Casey Cook in left to end the inning, with the Burgers leading 5-4 heading to the 9th.
Hub City’s offense went down in order in the top of the frame, putting the game in the hands of Adrian Rodriguez to try and notch his 2nd straight save. He was unable to handle the pressure of the moment, walking Horvath and Flewelling to start. He got to a 2-2 count on Mateo, who delivered the game-tying single. Rodriguez then walked Robertson to load the bases with nobody out. That forced Chad Comer’s hand, going to the bullpen for Mailon Felix, who promptly got a shallow fly ball to left and struck out the next 2 he faced to leave the bases juiced and send the game to extra innings knotted at 5.
In the top of the 10th, Rafe Perich added another chapter to his legend, once again answering the bell with 1 out after ghost runner Dylan Dreiling was forced at 2nd on a comebacker from John Taylor. In similar fashion to his first shot, he took another pitch at the lower part of the inner third of the plate out of right field for a 2-run homer to put the Burgers back in front 7-5. Quincy Scott, who entered as a defensive substitution for Maxton Martin in the bottom of the 8th, bought Hub City a nice insurance policy with a clutch 2 out 2 run double to left to push the lead to 9-5. Malcolm Moore added another with a run-scoring single to left, upping the ante to 10-5. Ben Hartl was beaned to put 2 on for Dylan Dreiling, but he was rung up to end the rally, sending the game to the bottom half with a nice cushion for Mailon Felix to try and punch the Burgers’ ticket to the SAL Championship Series and a date with the Brooklyn Cyclones in New York on Sunday.
Felix gave up a 2 out walk, but in the end left runners on the corners after striking out pinch hitter Jhon Diaz to seal the 10-5 victory.
With the sweep of Bowling Green in hand, the “Burger Boys” will get a couple of days off before traveling to Maimonides Park in Brooklyn, NY for game one of the SALCS, which will begin at 2:00 PM on Sunday afternoon. Pitching matchups are still to be determined.
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