Blue Sox Celebrating the Win. Timothy Charvat, 2024
Fortunes may be turning around for the Utica Blue Sox. After last playing on July 13 in a 7-6 loss to the Boonville Lumberjacks, the Sox enjoyed a long layover as three games were cancelled due to weather. But they returned to action on Wednesday July 17 against the same Lumberjacks.
And in one of the rowdiest games all season, the Sox defeated the Lumberjacks by a score of 10-4.
Blue Sox Hot Start
The Blue Sox showed no signs of rust, as they got off to a sizzling start. Two pitches into the game, right fielder Kevin Denty connected for a solo blast off Lumberjacks starter Brandon Ward to give the Sox an early lead.
Denty Celebrating at Home Plate. Timothy Charvat, 2024
The Sox struck again in the next inning. With a runner on second and two men out, center fielder Todd Abraham connected for an RBI double to double the Sox lead. On the very next pitch, third baseman Wyatt Hunt connected for a single to left field, but Wei-Chan Wang made an incredible throw to get Abraham out at the plate.
Pitching Duel Commence
For the next few innings, both starting pitchers began to duel as the game remained close. Ward settled down, even working out of bases loaded jam in the fourth to keep the Lumberjacks in the game.
But Blue Sox starter Nick Murphy dazzled in his second appearance of the season, as he only allowed two baserunners through his first four innings of work. The Lumberjacks threatened in the bottom of the fifth as they loaded the bases with two men out.
Murphy would successfully work out of the jam, by getting second baseman Luke Picone to ground out to end the inning and silence the Lumberjacks dugout.
Blue Sox Capitalize
Missed opportunities against the Blue Sox can prove costly, as the Sox would strike again in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded and nobody out, left fielder Nick OConnor would connect for a sacrifice fly to give the Blue Sox a 3-0 lead.
Ward would recover, as he would get Abraham to ground into a force-out, and Hunt to strikeout to end his night with six innings, three runs allowed and five strikeouts to keep the Lumberjacks in the game.
Blue Sox Erupt
The Blue Sox bats would break the game wide open in the top of the seventh. Seth Woodall replaced Ward and walked the first two batters he faced.
After getting first baseman Norris McClure to popout, extra hitter Matthew Williams connected for a two run double to right field to put the Sox up 5-0. Two batters later, with Williams now at third base, Woodall threw a wild pitch to designated hitter Mike Benedetto, allowing the Sox to take a 6-0 lead.
Lumberjacks Respond
The Lumberjack bats attempted to respond in their half of the frame. Cole Moore replaced Murphy after throwing six shoutout innings and ran right into trouble.
With two on and two men out, Ethan Acevedo beat out an infield hit, putting the Lumberjacks on the board. During the same play, a heads up throw by McClure got extra hitter Walddy Rodriguez out at the plate.
Blue Sox Strike Again
The Blue Sox bats erupted in the top of the eighth. Tyler Bono would come into pitch for the Lumberjacks and walked the first three batters he faced.
This allowed second baseman Benny Partridge to connect for a single to left field, allowing a run to score, but Wang gunned down his second runner at the plate of the night. Two pitches later, McClure connected for a two-run triple to put the Sox up 9-1. Williams then grounded out, capping off a four-run inning and allowing the Sox to go up 10-1.
McClure’s Two-Run Triple. Timothy Charvat, 2024
Lumberjacks Keep Knocking
The Lumberjacks were not keen on giving up and responded in their half of the frame. Gavin Enright relived Moore and allowed a leadoff double to the Picone.
Wang moved the runner over on a groundout, setting up catcher Jackson Williford to connect for an RBI single to center field, cutting the deficit 10-2, and causing the Boonville dugout to erupt. But the Sox once again cut off the rally, as two pitches into the at bat, Sox catcher Brendan Buecker would throw out Williford as he attempted to steal second base, erupting the Sox dugout in the process.
Williford’s RBI Single. Timothy Charvat, 2024
Enright would strikeout extra hitter Carter Storti to end the inning and send the Sox dugout into a frenzy.
Lumberjacks Last Gasp
The Lumberjacks would not go quietly in the bottom of the ninth. Ryan Carroll would come in to seal the win for the Blue Sox, and allowed third baseman Hugo Kohnhorst to reach base after Buecker dropped a third strike, causing both dugouts to erupt into a frenzy.
Carroll then walked designated hitter Joshua Braxton, which caused the Lumberjacks dugout to get even louder. During the next at bat, however, the home plate umpire had had enough and threw out Lumberjacks reliever Cade McWilliams to restore order.
Moments After McWilliams Ejection. Timothy Charvat, 2024
This would not be the case, as Carroll threw two wild pitches to Rodrguez, allowing a run to score and cutting the Blue Sox lead 10-3, sending the dugouts into more of a frenzy. Carroll then walked the next two bases, loading the bases for first baseman Allen Hernandez.
Carroll walked Hernadez, which forced in a run to cut the Sox lead 10-4. This ended Carroll’s night, as Sox manager Doug Delett brought in Williams to seal the game.
And Williams came up big, as he struck out all three batters he faced to end the game.
What’s Next
The Sox go back on the road Friday July 19, as they begin their final two game series against the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs. The first pitch is at 6:35 p.m.
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