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Joy Lifts Senators to Hard-Fought Victory Over Grays |
July 2, 2008. Vienna, Va. -- Wes Joy thought that his error had cost his team a run, and perhaps the game. With the Vienna Senators and DC Grays tied at 9 in the top of the ninth, Joy's throwing error allowed the speedy Juan Mujica to reach base. However, closer Jimmy Duggan rallied and escaped the innings, letting Joy off the hook. An inning and a half later, Joy made up for his mistake by lacing a walk-off single to give the Senators a 10-9 victory Wednesday night against the Grays.
“I was just looking for a pitch up that I could drive up the middle or get a deep fly ball to score that run,” said Joy. “I made an error for my team, and I almost gave them a run, but it feels good to come back in a get a run for the team and get the win.”
The last time these two teams met, the game ended in an 18-1 Senators victory. This Grays squad looked much more focused and energetic this time around. The team was constantly cheering and standing up, hoping for any chance of pulling a monumental upset.
Midway through the game, you had the feeling that whichever team got to bat last would win. In a back and forth, high-scoring affair, it was the Senators who managed to score the last run. Both starters were knocked around and neither made it past the fourth inning.
Senators starter Eric Cantrell had by far his worst outing of the year. Cantrell, who entered the game with a 0.72 ERA, allowed six runs on six hits in four innings of work. Four of those six hits were home runs. Mike Marion, who leads the Clark-Griffith League in home runs, started the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning. Cody Davis, Juan Mujica, and John Barrett also homered for the Grays. Barrett went deep twice and finished the game with four RBIs.
Grays starter Ben Sestanovich didn't fare any better. He lasted three and two thirds innings, allowing seven runs, only three of which were earned. The Grays defense, which was an Achilles heel in the two team's previous matchup, stayed true to form in committing three errors. The Senators capitalized on these mistakes, as all three Grays errors occurred in the Senators' four-run third inning.
After the starters exited, both bullpens settled in and kept the opposing offenses in check. The Senators used a combination of Will Krasne, Ryan Schwenke, Clint Maune, Jimmy Duggan, and Jordan Durrance to hold the Grays to three runs over the remaining six innings. The Grays used hard-throwers Joe Sable and Josh Rider to hold the Senators to two runs over five and a third innings.
However, the Grays couldn't match the depth of the Senators' pitching staff. After Sable and Rider each threw at least fifty pitches, they turned to Zach Biery in the tenth. Biery was unable to record an out, and took the loss.
Biery had to face the teeth of the Senators lineup, which had been held in check for most of the night. Biery walked David Harris, the current Senators leader in slugging percentage, to start the inning. Martin Parra, who leads the CGL in batting average and on-base percentage, then hit a bloop single up the right field line. Grays manager Doug Remer had no choice but to pull his infield in. Joy waited patiently for his pitch and lined a ball that deflected off of the shortstop's glove. By then Harris had come home to score the winning run, and Joy was the hero.
“With adversity like we had tonight, it makes you focus a lot more,” said Joy. “You have to get the timely hits and make the plays that you need to win games like tonight, because we're going to have close games all year long,” said Joy.
Andrew Struckmeyer
Vienna Senators