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Senators Come Up Clutch to Beat Raiders |
June 27, 2008. Vienna, Va. -- With two outs and a runner on second in the top of the seventh, the Vienna Senators were seeing their lead slip away. The Senators had just fought tooth and nail to claw their way to a 4-2 lead over the McLean Raiders in the bottom of the sixth. Reliever Jordan Durrance had already yielded one run in the inning and there was a runner on second base. Right fielder Michael Baggett lined a Durrance pitch right up the middle, and Matt Frazee was sent home. However, a frozen rope of a throw from Brandon Padula in center eliminated Frazee at the plate, popped the Raiders' comeback balloon, and propelled the Senators to a close 5-3 victory Friday night.
The Senators have become accustomed to winning games in blowout fashion, but last night's victory was a combination of timely hitting and pitching. The two teams were locked in a pitcher's duel early. While Raiders starter Anthony Askey mixed a hard fastball with a tricky sidearm-type delivery, Senators starter Michael Graham managed to wiggle his way out of jam after jam. Graham went four innings, while giving up four hits and walking one.
The Senators struck first in the fourth inning with an RBI single from Wes Joy. But the Raiders struck right back with two runs off of Will Krasne in the fifth. Askey continued to pitch strong into the sixth inning, and the Senators offense looked dormant. However, when Matt Goulas reached on an error, Raiders manager Eric Smith chose to take Askey out and turn the game over to his bullpen. The Senators offense immediately roared to life.
David Harris and Wes Joy greeted Shane Pysh with back-to-back singles to load the bases. Then third baseman Nick Kuroczko, filling in for the absent Martin Parra, unloaded the bases with a double in the left field corner.
“He was working me away, so I anticipated it [away], and tried to go with the pitch and I was able to do that,” said Kuroczko. “This team is clutch because we do a good job of anticipating situations and pitches.”
Durrance came on to pitch the seventh, but yielded a run on a Greg Bachman sacrifice fly. That brought up Baggett, and set the stage for Padula's game-saving throw. The Senators came up with another play when they needed it most.
“I think this team is clutch because we come from winning programs. We're winners,” said designated hitter Mario Williams.
The Senators looked to pad their lead in the bottom of the inning, but Alfred Rodriguez was thrown out at home for the final out. Matt Goulas, who came into the game leading the Clark-Griffith League in RBIs, singled up the middle, but centerfielder La Dale Hayes came up with a throw that rivaled Padula's. Catcher Nate Furry also laid the block on the plate, and Rodriguez was out at home.
The Senators escaped another jam in the top of the eighth, when Durrance gave up singles to Nick Caito and Alex Swenson. Senators manager Chris Burr brought on closer Jimmy Duggan to put out the fire, just as a fire engine from the Vienna fire department roared out of the station to accomplish presumably the same task.
Duggan did his job, although not without some dramatics. After walking Hayes to load the bases, he got Frazee to line out sharply to Padula in center. Fire extinguished.
The Senators added a run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Mario Williams came up with yet another clutch hit. His two-out double brought home David Harris. However, as has been the case with Williams for most of the year, he followed up his great moment with a not-so-good moment. Williams tried to take both third and home on a wild pitch, but was easily tagged out by Furry.
Sidearmer Ryan Schwenke was brought on to pitch the ninth. Aside from a one out walk to Greg Bachman, Schwenke was perfect in earning his third save of the season. The Senators improved to 3-0 against the Raiders for the season.
“Winning these close games are a lot more fun,” said Kuroczko. “It lets us know that there are still teams that we have to put up a fight against. And if we don't they're going to get us.”
Andrew Struckmeyer
Vienna Senators