LAKEWOOD, NJ – The Lakewood BlueClaws lost a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning, and lost the game in the eleventh as they lose to the Hagerstown Suns 3-1 and cling to their lead in the South Atlantic League Northern Division. With the loss, the BlueClaws are now .5 games ahead of the Delmarva Shorebird, with an extra loss in the loss column.
The game was a pitchers’ duel as Suns (26-28) starter Brad Peacock and BlueClaws (33-24) starter Jason Knapp battled late into the ballgame with the score tied at zero. However the breakthrough came in the bottom of the eighth inning with no one on base and D’Arby Myers at the plate. Myers doubled to deep left field, before Harold Garcia ripped a triple to dead center, scoring Myers and giving the BlueClaws a 1-0 lead. With one out, Gose hit a fly ball to centerfield, Garcia tried to tag and score, but was called out at the plate.
In the ninth, Ryan Bergh came on and walked the leadoff hitter Charlie Fermaint before Michael Guerrero moved him to second with a ground ball out and Robert Jacobsen came to the plate. Jacobsen grounded to the right side, a tough play, Garcia knocked it down but too far from his body, allowing Fermaint to score, tying the game at one.
In the eleventh inning, the Suns got a leadoff double by Steven Souza off Bergh (3-3) to start the inning and used that to score the eventual game winning run. After a sacrifice bunt, Guerrero singled Souza home to take a 2-1 lead. Guerrero advanced on a ground ball, and then scored another run on a single to right field by Robert Jacobsen to make it 3-1.
Knapp set the tone, striking out the side in the first, and finished with three more in his seven innings of work. He pitched very well, allowing just four hits and no runs, but the lack of run support keeps Knapp from winning his third game of the season.
Peacock was equally as effective in his seven innings of work. He allowed the same number of hits, four, and the same number of runs, zero, as his counterpart Knapp. Peacock struck out two hitters and did not allow a baserunner past first. Kevin Light (2-1), who pitched the bottom of the 10th gets the win and Carlos Peralta, earns the save.
The BlueClaws and the Suns will finish their four-game series on Thursday at 7:05 as the first half of the season continues to wind down. The BlueClaws will call on Heitor Correa (2-2) to pitch the series finale and the Suns will start righty Paul Demny (1-4).