The Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, lost their first game of the season Sunday by a final score of 11-6.
A back-and-forth battle through the first three innings eventually tipped in the Normal CornBelters’ favor in the seventh inning of the road matchup at The Corn Crib.
After the Freedom (8-1) took a 1-0 first-inning advantage, the lead changed hands three times.
Normal (4-5) scored two runs on a throwing error and a Miguel Torres RBI-single in the bottom of the first, but Florence rallied back against Charlie Gillies in the second. Jordan Brower led off with a single and later scored on an infield single by Mike Morris, and Andrew Godbold provided a two-out RBI-single for a 3-2 lead, extending his hitting streak to nine games in the process.
After Florence added two runs in the third on a sacrifice fly and a balk, the CornBelters tied the score at 5-5 against starter Eli Garcia in the home half. A hit-by-pitch and two walks loaded the bases with one out, and a RBI-fielder’s choice grounder by Torres set the stage for a Diego Cedeno two-run triple.
With Matt Hasenbeck on the mound in the seventh, the Freedom took the upper hand for the third time in the game on Austin Wobrock’s second sacrifice fly of the evening.
The lead would fall once more, however, as the CornBelters sent eight men to the plate in the bottom half against Patrick McGrath (0-1) and Pete Levitt. The latter was greeted by a bases-loaded, two-run single by pinch-hitter Yeixon Ruiz, giving Normal a 7-6 advantage from which the Freedom would not recover. A throwing error led to two more runs in the inning, and Aaron Dudley added a two-run homer to left field off Jalen Miller in the eighth to add to Florence’s deficit.
Shawn Blackwell (2-0) earned the win for the CornBelters, providing an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief that included three strikeouts.
Though not figuring into the final decision, righty Sam Brunner provided a bright spot for Florence, tossing three and one-third scoreless frames out of the bullpen in early relief of Garcia.
The Freedom will next host the Traverse City Beach Bums in a doubleheader Wednesday, with the first game scheduled to begin at 5:35 p.m. Right-hander Jordan Kraus (2-0) will pitch for Florence in the first game against left-hander John Havird, while Tony Vocca is scheduled to face Traverse City’s Augie Gallardo in the second game.
Group tickets and season ticket plans are currently on sale for the 2017 campaign. Fans can guarantee seating for premium promotional dates by calling the Freedom at 859-594-4487.
Florence Freedom
