September 6 Game Recap

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 6, 2007

Contact: Jon Shestakofsky (978-805-5117 / jshesta@lowellspinners.com)

Spinners Lose By Way of Balk

Lowell balks in winning run in the 11th inning

BROOKLYN, NY – Spinners reliever Ryne Miller entered the game with one out in the eleventh inning and balked in the Cyclones winning run to defeat the Spinners, 3-2, on Thursday night.

A one-out walk and wild pitch set up Brooklyn’s 11^th inning dramatics. Miller induced a groundout to his first batter faced, advancing the winning run to third before the balk.

The Spinners were two outs away from a win before closer Felix Ventura allowed a triple to deep centerfield and was called safe on a close relay play at third base. The runner scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly during the next at-bat, sending the game to extra innings.

Spinners starter and reigning New York-Penn League Pitcher of the Week Jordan Craft held Brooklyn (48-25) to one run, Jason Jacobs’ league-leading eleventh homerun of the season in the fourth inning.

Lowell (40-33) was held scoreless until the top of the sixth, when Che-Hsuan Lin was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. A single to left-field by Oscar Tejeda put runners on first and second, and both advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Carlos Fernandez-Oliva. A Yamaico Navarro groundout knocked in Lowell’s tying run before a double to left by Rafael Cabreja put the Spinners ahead.

Craft continued his strong pitching allowing three hits and two walks while striking out four in five innings. Going into the ninth inning, he was in line for his eighth win, which would have set a new single-season Spinners record.

Carlos Gonzalez followed with three hit-less innings of relief and struck out three before giving way to closer Felix Ventura in the ninth, who couldn’t hold the lead. Ventura remained in the game, striking out two while allowing two hits, including the tying run in the ninth, in two and one-third innings.

Had the Spinners held on for the nine-inning win, Craft (7-3) would have set a Spinners franchise record for wins in a season.

Cabreja led the Spinners offense, going 2-for-4 with the RBI double. The right-fielder also stole both second and third base in the top of the second inning, his sixth and seventh of the season. Tejeda went 2-for-3, while Lin, Deshaun Brooks, and Ryan Dent each pitched in with one hit apiece.

Tomorrow’s season finale pits Lowell’s Felix Doubront (1-2, 6.00 ERA), who has excelled with a 1-0 record and 2.70 ERA in 20 innings since the All-Star break, against Cyclones starter Nick Waechter (5-4, 3.88 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. at Brooklyn’s Keyspan Park.

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