Oct. 18, 2013
THE FLATS – Thomas Smith ripped a two-run single up the middle for the Gold Team, which walked off with a 3-2 win over the White Team Friday as the White-Gold Series continued at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Gold Team, which lost in five games to the White Team in a seven-game series, now leads the best-of-three mini-series, 1-0. Game 2 of the mini-series is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium with Josh Heddinger (Gold) Dusty Isaacs (White) on the mound.
Freshman SS Connor Justus was 3-for-3 for the Gold Team, and his single through the left side got the rally started in the seventh. Sophomore LF Will Young walked and junior CF Daniel Spingola’s sacrifice bunt moved both into scoring position for Smith, who lined the 2-2 offering from Ben Parr up the middle as the game-winner.
It was a pitchers’ duel early between rookies Zac Ryan (Gold) and Matthew Gorst (White), each turning a scoreless game over to the bullpens in the fifth. Gorst went four innings, allowing two hits and no walks with three strikeouts. Ryan’s line was nearly identical – four innings, three strikeouts, no walks, one hit.
The White Team drew first blood in the fifth as sophomore 3B Matt Gonzalez singled to lead off the inning. He swiped second and third and eventually scored thanks to an infield error with two outs.
Freshman 3B Matthew Gold’s RBI single to score junior 1B A.J. Murray in the sixth allowed the Gold Team to tie the game, but White quickly regained a 2-1 advantage in the seventh after freshman C Arden Pabst led off with a single and scored on a wild pitch.
Gold pitched the seventh inning for the Gold Team and would be credited with the victory. Gold pitchers Gorst, Tanner Shelton, Jonathan Roberts and Gold limited the White Team to just three singles in the game.
