Oct. 20, 2006
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Junior catcher Shea Robin scored three runs and drove in two to lead the Black squad to a 7-5 come-from-behind victory on Friday night at Charles Hawkins Field.
Four pitchers for the Black side combined to strike out 10 Gold batters, holding the visiting Gold squad hitless after the second inning. In relief, Mike Minor pitched 2 2/3 innings, striking out five and giving up only one run. Jason Cunningham recorded the win, pitching a 1-2-3 top-of-the-eighth before the Black bats were able to secure the victory.
For the second straight game, Dominic de la Osa hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give the Gold team an early lead.
The Gold team expanded its lead in the fifth inning. With runners on the corners and no out, pitcher Brett Jacobson was called for a balk, which plated Steven Liddle for Gold’s third run. After Mike Minor relieved Jacobson, Matt Meingasner gave the Gold a 4-0 advantage when he scored on a throwing error. Minor would strike out the next two batters to get the Black squad out of the jam.
The Black team would strike back in the bottom half of the inning. Brad French drove in Shea Robin on a fielders’ choice with the bases loaded, then Ryan Davis scored on a throwing error.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Gold added an insurance run when Adam Cronk scored after being hit by a pitch.
The Black squad would get two runs back in the bottom of the sixth. Robin drove in Kurt Lipton with a two-out single, then was picked up by a single by Alex Feinberg to bring the score to 5-4.
The following inning, the Black squad would tie the game up when French grounded into a fielders choice that scored Alex Hilliard.
Robin gave the Commodores their first lead of the game when his eighth-inning triple scored Diallo Fon. Hilliard drove in Robin on a fielders’ choice to give the Black squad a 7-5 advantage heading into the top of the ninth inning.
Casey Weathers struck out the side in the top of the ninth to nail down the win for the Black squad.
With the win, Erik Bakich’s Black squad evens the series with Blake “The Snake” Allen’s Gold squad at 1-1. The teams will play the rubber match of the Black & Gold Series at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 22 at Charles Hawkins Field.
GOLD 200 021 000 5 3 2
BLACK 000 022 12X 7 10 2
WP: Cunningham
LP: Lamm
SV: Weathers
HR: De La Osa (2)
