University of Tennessee Athletics
Orange Team Takes 2-0 Series Lead with Friday Victory over White
October 17, 2008 | Baseball
Oct. 17, 2008
KNOXVILLE - On a cool and crisp Friday night at Robert M. Lindsay Field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, the Orange team used a four-run seventh inning to edge the White team 5-4 and take a 2-0 series lead after the second game of the Tennessee Baseball Orange & White World Series.
"I think our team played with a great deal of heart," Orange Team coach Fred Corral said. "They competed for all nine innings and we made some early mistakes, base running mistakes, but that is typical of the fall situation. We are going to be better at that come spring, but you can't complainthey had a great deal of fight."
After the first game ended in an 8-8 tie, the teams returned to the field two days later. Orange took advantage of the extra innings to get an early edge in the series.
Both starting pitchers, Nick Hernandez and Bryan Morgado, threw four scoreless innings to start the game. Hernandez allowed only one hit, no earned runs and struck out five. Morgado also allowed only one hit and no earned runs while walking two and striking out two.
Corral was pleased with the pitching performances from both teams.
"They competed their tails off," Corral said. "Every single one of those guys out there did a good job. They went out there and they competed every pitch. Everyone had good secondary pitches, everyone had a great hammer. It was good not only to see the Orange team pitch well but to see the new guys come out and do what they need to do on the White (team)."
Junior catcher Matt Hamaker broke the game's scoreless tie with a solo home run off the batter's eye in center field to lead off the top of the fifth inning, giving the White team a 1-0 edge.
The Orange team responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the fifth inning. Second baseman Cody Grisham tied the game with an RBI single to left field, driving in Stephen McCray from second base. McCray previously reached on his second single of the night and advanced into scoring position on a single by freshman Matt Ramsey.
Freshman designated hitter Andy Shuford singled with two runners on in the top of the seventh inning to break the 1-1 tie, driving in third baseman Cody Hawn who reached on a walk to lead off the inning.
McCray, who finished the night 3-for-4 with an RBI on three singles, tied the game at 2-2 with an RBI single to right field in the bottom of the seventh that drove in Blake Forsythe.
The Orange team took its first lead of the game, 3-2, when Ramsey scored as Jarred Frazier reached on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded.
Tyler Horne drove in two more runners for the Orange team on a single to left field. Frazier was thrown out at third on the play to end the bottom of the seventh inning. The Orange team scored four runs on two hits with one error in the inning to pull ahead of the White team 5-2.
The White team did not go quietly, scoring two runs in the top of the eighth inning to get within one run of the Orange. Cody Hawn's groundout to the shortstop scored Josh Liles, and later Kentrail Davis scored on a wild pitch.
Newcomers Aaron Tullo, Adam Adkins and Will Locante combined to throw four innings out of the bullpen for the White team. The Orange team saw freshman Clayton Gant and Josh Allman, along with junior Jeff Lockwood, combine for five innings out of its bullpen.
The two teams return to the field Sunday at 2 p.m. for the third game of the series. The White team sends freshman left-hander Steven Gruver to the mound, while junior right-hander Steve Crnkovich gets the start for the Orange team. Admission is free.
