10 Jun Late Rally Caps Comeback
Four-Run Deficit Erased, Sussex County Walks Off In Tenth
June 9, Augusta, NJ – On a crisp Sussex County night, the New York Boulders built up a four run lead through four innings of play. But then, the Miners resiliency showed once again, as the home side scored one run in the sixth, then three more in the eighth, and finished the comeback by scoring the lone tenth inning run to win an exciting 5-4 contest at Skylands Stadium.
The Boulders scored their runs in innings two through four, as New York was able to get six of their eight hits against Miners starter Cole Davis in those frames. A second inning leadoff double by Chris Kwitzer, who advanced to third on a Jawuan Harris error, would later be plated for a 1-0 New York lead. Two walks and two singles in the third inning led to the game’s second run, with Thomas Walraven collecting the RBI to make it 2-0 Boulders through three innings played.
The fourth inning brought two more runs home for the Boulders, as David Vinsky knocked a two-out, two-run single to hand the Boulders a 4-0 lead. They put a runner on in the fifth inning in the person of Walraven, but he got caught in-between third and home on a ball that got by Miners catcher Elvis Lopez, but not far enough for Walraven to score safely, and the ensuing quick rundown ended the inning with New York still leading by four runs, but also giving the Miners a much needed turn in momentum.
Freisis Adames would come on in the sixth inning, and would pitch stellar ball from then on, keeping the Miners hopes for a comeback alive. Adames would retire the first ten Boulders he would face stretching from the sixth through the ninth innings, striking out three in that process, to allow the Miner comeback to take shape.
That comeback got started in the sixth inning when Abraham Mow extended his hitting streak to a team-high nine games with a leadoff double. He would then score on a Gavin Stupienski single to cut the Boulders lead to 4-1. That score would stay until the eighth, when Mow would once again start the inning with a base hit. Two batter later, he would score on a Juan Santana double to cut the deficit to 4-2. Two batters after that, Oraj Anu launched a two-run home run over the wall in right-center field to tie the game at four. It was Anu’s third home run of the season, and came with two outs in the eighth.
Adames would walk two batters in the ninth but escaped without allowing a run, completing a four inning performance by not allowing a hit or run, with the last out coming on a solid defensive play deep behind the third base bag by Mow. And after the Miners left a pair of runners on in the bottom of the ninth, it set the game up for Robbie Hitt to come on in the tenth and induced a groundout and a short fly ball to center field that Jawuan Harris flagged down for the second out. Garrett Cooper took a chance to give the Boulders the lead, but Harris’ throw was on the money and in plenty of time to cut down Cooper, firing up the crown and team heading to the bottom of the tenth tied at four.
In the home half of the tenth, Anthony Gome would pinch run for Gavin Stupienski. Juan Santana would lead off by reaching on an error by first baseman Chris Kwitzer. With runners on at first and third, Harris would end the night by lifting a flyball to deep center field. Patrick Kivlehan – who had two hits of his own on the night – would make the catch, but the ball was much too far to be able to make a play on Gomez, who tagged up and scored to give the Miners the walk-off win.
Game two of the four-game weekend series continues tomorrow night on Wild West Country Night, with first pitch set for the customary fireworks night time of 6:05 pm. The Miners will send the Frontier League Pitcher of the Week Griffin Baker to the mound, to be opposed by the Boulders July Sosa.