Connector Editor
The Lowell Spinners (15-10), defeated the Connecticut Tigers (11-13) by a score of 7-4 at LeLacheur Park Wednesday night. The team came up with some timely hits, but it was the heroics of the bullpen that clinched the Spinners’ victory. The win maintains the first place hold that the Spinners currently possess on their division.
A combination of three relievers pitched five scoreless innings for the home team. Starting pitcher Jose Almonte was chased out of the game after 4+ innings pitched. Reliever Matt Kent replaced Almonte, and went on to pitch three of those five scoreless innings in relief. Kent picked up the much deserved win after the Spinners reclaimed the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth.
Taylor Nunez pitched a clean eighth inning, but sacrificed two base hits to lead off the top half of the ninth. A game that seemed comfortably in hand leading into the ninth came into question when the Spinners final pitcher of the night, Bobby Poyner, allowed another base hit to left which left the bases loaded with nobody out. However, the southpaw struck out the next two Tigers he faced, and got Connecticut shortstop A.J. Simcox to fly out to left field to end the game.
The game was a see-saw battle for control, with each team providing almost immediate answers for the others successes.
Tigers third basemen Josh Lester was the source of half his team’s runs, and lead off the scoring for the game with a deep sacrifice fly to left in the top half of the third.
The Spinners answered back in the bottom of the fourth inning when third baseman Mitch Gunsolus laced a single to right field with the bases loaded, scoring two. The 2-1 lead was short lived.
Victor Padron had a three-hit day for the Tigers, and was the first of four singles that lead to three runs in the top half of the fifth inning. That was just one of Padron’s five appearances on base, as he also drew two walks.
Luis Alexander Basabe answered right back in the bottom half of the fifth with a solo bomb that soared over the wall in right field. The homer was Basabe’s team leading fifth of the season, and, more importantly, brought the Spinners to within one at 4-3. Basabe’s blast was followed by a single and a walk to put runners on first and second. Victor Acosta then hit a chopper to third, which was mishandled by Josh Lester, and subsequently thrown way off the mark to first base. The error allowed two runners to score, and gave the Spinners a 5-4 lead they would never look back from.
The Spinners added an insurance run in both the seventh and eighth inning to pad their lead by three.
After the Tigers’ rally in the fifth, Spinners relievers did not allow a baserunner to get past first base until the Tigers’ surge in the top of the ninth.
Both teams rocketed off ten hits apiece, but two costly errors by Connecticut lead to three unearned runs by the Spinners; proving to be the game.
The Spinners have to feel good about the way they swung the bat tonight. Six out of their nine starters recorded a hit, and eight out of the nine reached base safely.
Both teams now travel to Connecticut for the middle game of a home-home-and-home series to be played Thursday night.
