In search of a series-clinching win in the regular-season finale with the River City Rascals, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, could not keep up in an 11-4 loss on Sunday afternoon at UC Health Stadium.
After trading three shut-out innings with their opponent to start the game, Florence (50-36) fell behind by four in the Rascals (49-36) side of the fourth.
With runners at first and third, southpaw, George Faue (2-3) saw the first-run score on a fielder’s choice, Caleb Lopes electing to throw home instead of rolling a double-play on a ground-ball to second by L.J. Kalawaia.
Braxton Martinez crossed home-plate as the ball skipped away from catcher, Jackson Pritchard, as the visitors moved ahead, 1-0. Tanner Murphy added a three-run homer later in the frame, as the score shifted to 4-0, Rascals.
River City would plate two-more on one swing of the bat in the fifth.
Kameron Esthay lifted his seventh dinger of the year to push the opposition in front by six, 6-0.
Faue stepped aside after five, allowing six runs, three earned on seven hits with two walks and three whiffs in what became his third loss of the season.
Florence threw a pair of starters one inning apiece in the next two frames.
Zak Spivy tossed a shut-out frame in the sixth before lefty, Mike Castellani took over in the top of the seventh.
The Freedom got on the board in the sixth, still facing Rascals starter, Keenan Bartlett (2-1).
Ricky Ramirez Jr. led-off the frame with his first of two doubles on the day, bringing Lopes to the box with a man in scoring position. Lopes came through, dropping a single to right that allowed Ramirez to score and the score was 6-1.
This was the only run Bartlett allowed over his five innings, the right-hander scattered five hits, with one walk and three punch-outs.
With Castellani on the hill, River City reclaimed a six-run lead. Martinez turned on an RBI-single that scored Nolan Meadows, who reached base four times in six at-bats.
Leading, 7-1, the Rascals added another four spot in the eighth, sending ten hitters to the plate on the way to opening up a ten-run lead, 11-1.
River City recorded just two hits in the inning, two Florence pitchers, Ryan Mordecai and Sean Hughes totaled five free passes on their quest to three outs.
Meadows and Kalawaia notched the runs batted in, plating two each on a double and single, respectively.
With Taylor Purus on the bump for a second inning of work in the Freedom side of the ninth, Florence plated three runs in their last at-bat.
Brandon Pugh started the mini-rally, scorching a single up the middle before crossing home-plate on a second double from Ramirez.
One batter later, Caleb Lopes turned on mammoth homer to left, his ninth round-tripper scored two and cut the margin to, 11-4, the eventual final.
With the loss and an Evansville Otters win in their finale with Gateway, the Freedom now share first-place with the Otters ahead of two days off.
Florence will get back on the diamond on Wednesday when they play host to the last-place team in the East Division, Washington Wild Things at UC Health Stadium.
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
