In the hopes of a series sweep, the Florence Freedom fell to the Traverse City Beach Bums, 4-3, in 11 innings on Thursday at Wuerfel Park.
The Freedom hung a crooked number in their first at-bat of the game, plating three runs in the bottom of the first off Beach Bums starter Seth Brenner. Xavier Turner led off with a single and stole second base ahead of a Connor Crane walk. With Jose Brizuela batting, Turner and Crane executed a double steal to setup a Brizuela sacrifice fly. Turner and Crane would combine for five stolen bases on the night, three for Turner and two for Crane.
After Andre Mercurio got hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a walk, Nick Crouse sent a line drive up the middle for a two-run single, scoring Crane and Mercurio as the Freedom took a 3-0 lead. In the top of the second, Florence chased Brenner from the game after 1 2/3 innings. This was the second time in the series the Freedom forced a Beach Bums starter out of the game before the bottom of the second.
Traverse City began to chip away at the deficit in its second at-bat, plating one off Freedom starter Steve Hagen by a pair of doubles from Luke Lowery and Steve Lohr to make the score 3-1. A Will Kengor double that scored Kenny Peoples Walls would reduce the deficit to 3-2. Lohr finished the game just a home run short of the cycle as the Beach Bums began to hit their stride offensively in the finale.
Hagen would leave the game after five innings, having allowed two earned runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Six Freedom relief pitchers would appear on the mound over the final six innings.
With Johnathon Tripp on the hill in the bottom of the eighth and the Freedom leading, 3-2, Traverse City would rally to tie the game courtesy a pair of walks and a Will Kengor RBI single. The Bums attempted to take the lead on the play, but Connor Crane gunned down Arby Fields at home for his first outfield assist of the season. Mercurio and Berges would also throw Beach Bums out at the plate in the game as Florence did their best to keep Traverse City within arm’s reach.
Tied at 3-all, with Will Kengor at second base in the bottom of the 11th courtesy of the International Tie-Breaker rule, Donald Glover Jr. roped a base hit down the first base line off Freedom reliever Jameson McGrane, securing the Beach Bums’ 4-3 victory in the series finale. John Michael Knighton, the Traverse City relieving pitcher, dazzled over his three innings, holding the Freedom to hitless and added a trio of punch-outs.
Despite the loss, Florence won two out of three in the series and will take the field next Friday in Washington, Pa., in a weekend series against the Wild Things at Wild Things Park.
