On the day of the the Beach Bums welcomed back baseball in Traverse City, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, dominated the day, sweeping the Bums in a doubleheader, 9-6 and 2-0, to spoil the home opener at Wuerfel Park in 2018.
Game one got off to a roaring start for both teams offensively, as the Freedom (8-3) plated three runs in their first at-bat off Bums (4-7) starter Reinaldo Lopez (0-2). Back-to-back singles to start the game by Brandon Pugh and Connor Crane paved the way to an RBI-double by Jose Brizuela and an RBI-groundout from Andre Mercurio as the Freedom quickly moved in front by two. Keivan Berges then followed suit with a run scoring single as the Freedom enjoyed a, 3-0, lead going into the bottom of the first.
The Beach Bums would storm back, plating four runs off Freedom starter Cody Gray with a three-run blast by Steve Lohr the big blow as Traverse City moved in front, 4-3, after one frame.
Florence would reclaim the lead with two outs in the second however, as Crane began a string of six consecutive Freedom hits that included a trio of RBI-singles from Brizuela, Mercurio and Berges, and an RBI-double by Xavier Turner. The Freedom batted around for the fifth time this year in the inning, scoring five runs in all to take an, 8-4, lead after one and a half innings. Lopez was pulled from the game having surrendered eight runs on eleven hits in just 1.2 innings of work.
Traverse City pulled within two in the home half of the fourth, as Kenny Peoples Walls followed a Max Dutto walk with an RBI-double before Isaac Benard made the score, 8-6, with an ensuing RBI-single. This would be Gray’s final inning on the mound for Florence, earning a no-decision after registering four innings and allowing six runs on six hits with four punch-outs. Mike Castellani (1-0) would record the win, tossing a clean fifth inning that included Alexis Rivera getting thrown out at third base while trying to stretch a double into a triple. Mercurio, who made a strong relay to shortstop Mike Morris from deep centerfield on the play, tallied the first outfield assist of any Freedom player this season.
Looking to add an insurance run off Beach Bums reliever Kris Goodman in the fifth, Morris pushed a bunt down the third base line and beat the throw to first to give the Freedom their first base runner since their five-run second inning. Morris then promptly stole second where he would later score with ease on a Ryan Rinsky single, as the Freedom moved in front by the eventual, 9-6, final. Patrick McGrath would convert his second save in as many chances in the bottom of the seventh, preserving Florence’s seventh victory of the season.
Offensively, the Freedom exploded for fourteen hits in the ballgame and saw all nine starters record at-least one base knock in the contest.
Game two was cut from a different cloth as southpaws Marty Anderson (2-0) and John Havird (0-1) took center stage in a pitchers duel at Wuerfel Park.
Neither team would score a run through their first four at-bats, however in the top of the fifth the Freedom finally broke through. Rinsky worked a walk which opened the door to a sacrifice bunt from Morris, and with a runner now at second, Crane delivered a line drive up the middle, allowing Rinsky to score without a throw as the Freedom took a, 1-0 lead. Adding to their lead in the sixth, Turner maximized a Mercurio double with an RBI-single to stretch Florence’s advantage to, 2-0.
Anderson would tally 6.2 innings of work and fan eight en route to the win, allowing just two hits in a second consecutive shutout performance in 2018. With the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh, Jameson McGrane slammed the door for Florence, becoming the third pitcher in the Freedom bullpen to record a save this season.
The Freedom will look to break out the brooms in the series finale tomorrow, as right-hander Steve Hagen opposes Bums lefty Seth Brenner with first pitch slated for 7:05 at Wuerfel Park.
The Florence Freedom are members of the Independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY. The Freedom can be found online at florencefreedom.com, or by phone at (859) 594-4487.
Florence Freedom
