Burgers Mashed by Dash

Hub City evened the series on Friday night with a thrilling eleventh inning walkoff and looked to secure no worse than a split on Saturday with AJ Russell (1-0, 0.00 ERA) making his first start since being called up from Low A Hickory earlier this week.

Russell was on a pitch limit and would only get two innings in. His first was shaky out of the gate, giving up a leadoff single to Kyle Lodise. After striking out Ryan Burrowes, Boston Smith drew a walk followed by a single from George Wolkow that loaded the bases. Russell notched another K, whiffing James Taussig, but a walk to third baseman Jeral Perez plated the game’s first run. Arxy Hernandez flew to center to retire the side, with Hub City once more trailing before their offense had a chance to see a pitch.

In the home half, Luke Hanson reached on a throwing error charged to the third baseman with one out, but was later caught stealing ahead of a strikeout of Hector Osorio to keep it a 1-0 game.

In his second inning of work, Russell once again put the leadoff man on, this time via a walk to Ely Brown. He later stole second, but a fly out, strikeout, and a ground ball to short left him on. Officially, Russell went two innings with one earned run on two hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.

Ismael Agreda, who is normally the Saturday starter, came on to start the third after Hub City went down quietly in the previous half inning. He issued a one out walk to Wolkow, who later swiped second. Taussig was rung up for out number two, but after Perez drew his second walk in as many plate appearances up to that point, Arxy Hernandez singled in a run. Brown struck out swinging to retire the side, but it was then 2-0 in favor of the Dash.

Hub City went down in order once again in the bottom of the third, and once more, old habits kicked in as walks led to a devastating blow in the ensuing half inning.

After ringing up Bryce Eblin to start the frame, Lodise walked. Burrowes then singled and Smith walked to load the bases for Wolkow. A free pass to him forced home the third run before Taussig jacked a grand slam over the bullpen to blow the game open at 7-0 heading to the home half, in which the Burgers once again went down in order.

Hub City finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth when Maxton Martin doubled with one away. With two out, Friday’s hero Antonis Macias singled, plating Martin to cut the deficit to 7-1 heading to the sixth.

After Hub City left a two out single from Hanson aboard in the bottom of the frame, the Dash just kept adding on with a single run in the top of the seventh, a four-spot in the eighth, and a solo homer from Taussig in the ninth, extending their lead to 13-1. In the interim, the Spartanburgers left four runners on over the span of the last four innings.

Over the course of the game, Hub City had just seven base runners and left 5 of them on while the old nemesis of walks came back to bite like a mosquito that just won’t stop, making for a situation where the Burgers must win Sunday to salvage a split in the series.

They will do so with DJ McCarty (2-3, 5.36 ERA) going against an arm to be named later with first pitch scheduled for 4:35 PM.