August 30th Game Recap
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2008
Contact: Jon Boswell (978-805-5117 / jboswell@lowellspinners.com)
AT LAST!
Spinners make history as historic night ends in thrilling comeback for Lowell, 5-4
LOWELL, MA – Mitch Dening scampered home from third base with the winning run, capping a nail-biting comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning by the Lowell Spinners as the team clinched its first playoff berth and Stedler Division title in team history, 5-4, over the Oneonta Tigers during Kids’ Kickball and Dodgeball Giveaway Night, sponsored by Courier and Sal’s Pizza.
The celebration began as soon as Dening slid into home, and continued into the clubhouse as the team relished in its first postseason berth.
Lowell (38-29) got off to a great start, scoring single runs in the first and second innings to take a quick 2-0 lead. In the first, Peter Hissey walked, advanced to second on a walk to Tim Federowicz and scored as Ricardo Burgos laced a single to left.
The second Spinners’ run came courtesy of a wild pitch, as Ronald Bermudez led off the second with a triple and came home when Oneonta (28-38) starter Mark Sorensen whipped a pitch to the backstop.
Lowell cruised through the next few innings, until the Tigers put a damper on celebration preparations in the sixth as right fielder Hayden Parrott smacked a 3-run homer to deep left-center field.
Oneonta added what looked to be an important insurance run in the eighth inning on an RBI double by left fielder Luis Arlet.
With one out in the Spinner ninth, Derrik Gibson walked, stole second and then scored on a Casey Kelly single to cut the Tigers’ lead to one. Mitch Dening followed with a double to left-center field, scoring Kelly from first, that just missed hitting the Pepsi ProStar Video Board for a 2-run homerun. Dening then stole third and when Oneonta reliever Tyler Stohr threw a fastball that got behind catcher Joe Bowen, Dening scored a historic run.
Lowell starter Hunter Strickland was strong through five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing the go-ahead three-run blast. He did strike out seven, however. Dan Buller gave up a run in two innings while Armando Zerpa (1-0, 4.26) picked up his first win in a Spinners uniform with a scoreless inning and a third.
Dening, entering the game in the third for an injured Wilfred Pichardo, had two hits, as did Kelly and Ryan Lavarnway. Every Lowell starter reached base as the team racked up 11 hits.
Lowell looks to keep the playoff momentum rolling tomorrow night on Kids’ Batting Helmet Giveaway Night, sponsored by Sovereign Bank. Yeiper Castillo (3-5, 4.15) is the scheduled starter with gates opening at 3:30 p.m. and first pitch at 5:05 p.m.
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