BLUE JAYS (19-25)
1 Jorge Vega-Rosado DH
2 Dickie Joe Thon SS
3 Christian Lopes 2B
4 Seth Conner 1B
5 Santiago Nessy C
6 Nico Taylor LF
7 Emilio Guerrero 3B
8 Jacob Anderson RF
9 D.J. Jones CF
RHP Tucker Jensen (2-1, 4.18)
RAYS (27-21)
2 Reid Redman 2B
3 Andrew Toles CF
4 Omar Narvaez C
5 Daniel Duran 3B
6 John Alexander 1B
7 Julian Morillo DH
7 Julian Morillo DH
8 Ismel Antumez RF
9 James Harris Jr. LF
RHP Alex Keudell (2-2, 1.99)
FIRST-PITCH TIME: 7:05 P.M.
BROADCAST
INFO: Listen live right here for Blue Jays pregame at 6:50. Tonight's game will also be on local radio on 1240 AM Rooster Classic Country.
WEATHER: Low 80s today, but there is rain in the forecast before the game
UMPIRES: PLATE Travis Godec FIELD Chase Eade
ABOUT LAST NIGHT...: As they have all season, the Bluefield Blue Jays and Princeton Rays battled through another tight game in the Mercer Cup series. In the bottom of the 13th inning, the Rays edged the Blue Jays 4-3 on Matt Dean's throwing error. Princeton clinched the best-of-11 series, leading 6-4 with one game to play. The Rays' bullpen retired the last 26 Bluefield hitters
Princeton walked off for the second straight night to take back the Cup and win it for the third time in four years. Brandon Martin, whose ninth-inning single won Tuesday night's game for the Rays, walked on four pitches against Shane Davis (L, 0-1) to start the 13th. Reid Redman hit a grounder to third and Dean's throw to first was short of the bag and skipped into shallow right field. Martin raced all the way around from first to score the winning run and ignite a celebration at Hunnicutt Field.
Bluefield led 3-0 after the top of the first inning, but the offense soon disappeared and did not put a man on base after Christian Lopes singled with one out in the fifth. Eli Echarry pitched five shutout innings of two-hit ball before Nick Sawyer entered in the ninth and turned in four perfect frames with eight strikeouts to get through the 12th. Pedro Silvestre (W, 1-0) set the Jays down 1-2-3 in the 13th, finishing the string of 26 straight outs, nearly a perfect-game's worth.
That performance should not overshadow the marvelous job by the Bluefield relievers, who did not allow an earned run in seven innings. Griffin Murphy had his 13-inning scoreless streak snapped in the seventh, but he still hasn't surrendered an earned run in 15 and two-thirds innings over his last seven outings. Wil Browning escaped three potential game-winning rallies and Joe Spano tossed a scoreless 11th and 12th without allowing a hit. Davis took the defeat on an unearned run.
The Jays burst out of the gate quickly in the must-win contest, plating three runs six batters into the game. Jorge Vega-Rosado walked and Eric Arce singled before Lopes singled to put Bluefield up before an out was recorded by starter Jonathan Weaver. Dwight Smith Jr. singled to load the bases before Santiago Nessy lifted a sacrifice fly and Nico Taylor knocked an RBI single.
Princeton immediately got a run back when Brandon Martin led off the bottom of the first with a home run off Deivy Estrada. The Bluefield lefty settled in to retire nine of ten before Oscar Hernandez went deep in the fourth to cut the lead to 3-2. Estrada allowed only the two runs on five hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk before handing the lead to the bullpen.
The Rays' game-tying rally started innocently when Martin blooped a two-out double that was barely fair. Redman walked and with Andrew Toles at the plate, the catcher Nessy tried to pick Redman off of first and threw the ball into right field, sending Martin home and making it 3-3. Murphy stranded the go-ahead run at third, it was the first of four straight frames that the Jays kept the go-ahead or tying run in scoring position.
Murphy put Ariel Soriano at second in the eighth before Browning relieved him with two outs. Darryl George hit a bouncer to second base that Lopes bobbled and threw to the covering pitcher. Browning recorded the out and saved the day with a terrific stretch at first base. Princeton hitting coach Reinaldo Ruiz was manning the first base box and was immediately ejected in a heated argument with field umpire Travis Godec about the play. It would not be Browning's last great escape.
With runners at first and second and two outs in the ninth, Browning struck out James Harris Jr. to force extras. A leadoff single, a hit batsman on a two-strike pitch and a bunt single loaded the bases for Princeton with no outs in the tenth. Browning struck out George before Omar Narvaez lined out to Smith, who was playing very shallow in center field with the winning run 90 feet away. The side-winding righty Browning completed his brilliant outing by inducing a popout to the second baseman Lopes.
Spano worked around a one-out walk in the 11th by striking out the side and after Vega-Rosado's throwing error at shortstop put the winning run at second with no outs in the 12th, Spano wriggled out of the jam and ended his night with his fourth punch-out. Both bullpens were magnificent, between Princeton's perfect run and Bluefield limiting the Rays' bats to 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position for the game.
The 13-inning contest finished well short of Princeton's season high (last week's 12-9 win at Pulaski that took two days and 23 innings to finish). It was Bluefield's longest game since July 21, 2010, when they were an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. That was also a 13-inning walk-off defeat, a 7-6 loss at Kingsport.
Bluefield led the Mercer Cup 4-2, but dropped four straight to Princeton
as the Rays took back the trophy. It is the ninth time in 21 seasons
that Princeton has won the title, with six coming in the last eight
years. The Rays will go for a sweep of the series on Thursday night with
Bluefield manager Dennis Holmberg still sitting on 1,298 career
victories.
VS. THE RAYS: The rival Blue Jays and Rays split the first eight games of the Mercer Cup series, before Princeton walked off the last two nights to take the title. The Rays and Jays split two one-run games in Bluefield before the third game was rained out. Jeremy Gabryszwski and Griffin Murphy combined for a shutout in Princeton, then the two clubs split a doubleheader at Bowen Field on July 21. The Jays won in Princeton to take a 4-2 lead, but the Rays have taken four straight. The Blue Jays beat Princeton in seven of 11 games last year to win the Mercer Cup. That series was also tied 4-4 with three games to play in Bluefield on August 9-11. The Jays won 6-2, then Deivy Estrada pitched five shutout innings the next night to win the clincher and keep the Rays from retiring the Cup.
- TONIGHT’S PITCHING PROBABLES -
RHP TUCKER JENSEN: Right-hander Tucker Jensen is back in the rotation after a strong relief outing on Saturday against Bristol. With Daniel Norris knocked out in the fourth inning with the Jays down 7-4, Jensen worked two and two-thirds scoreless frames to keep it close and help the Jays come back to win 8-7. He is three innings short of the league qualifier, but his 1.05 WHIP is ninth and his 30/5 K/BB ratio is seventh among Appy Leaguers with at least 30 IP. Last year, he allowed 14 earned runs in 11.1 innings in four starts for Bluefield. He excelled in eight Gulf Coast League starts to begin his career, pitching to a 1.77 ERA with an 8.9 K/9 rate to earn a one-game call-up to low-A Lansing. Between three levels he struck out 56 batters in 57 innings of work. A decorated hurler at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL, Tucker was named Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2011, also earning NAIA Second-Team All-America honors. Tucker is the grandson of 1958 American League MVP Jackie Jensen.
RHP ALEX KEUDELL: The reigning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, righty Alex Keudell, has had a great beginning to his professional career. With a 1.99 ERA in 22.2 innings, the 22-year-old has allowed 21 hits and only five walks and struck out 23. Keudell pitched for his hometown Oregon Ducks and set single-season school records in 2012 for wins (11) and innings (124.2) before being selected by Tampa Bay in the 27th round in June. He did not get a decision in his last outing on Saturday in Kingsport after allowing two runs on six hits in five innings. This will be his third appearance against Bluefield. In the Mercer Cup opener in Bluefield on July 17, he gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth and took the tough loss. On July 27 in Princeton, he pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning with two strikeouts in an eventual Rays win. Alex was chosen by the Twins in the 38th round last year, but he elected to stay at Oregon.
BULLPEN DOMINANCE: The Bluefield relievers did a marvelous job in not allowing an earned run in seven innings last night. Griffin Murphy had his 13-inning scoreless streak snapped in the seventh, but he still hasn’t surrendered an earned run in 15 and two-thirds innings over his last seven outings. Wil Browning escaped three potential game-winning rallies and Joe Spano tossed a scoreless 11th and 12th without allowing a hit. Shane Davis took the defeat on an unearned run. Both bullpens were magnificent, between Princeton’s perfect run and Bluefield limiting the Rays’ bats to 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position for the game.
INCREDI-WIL: Wil Browning pulled a trifecta of Houdini acts with Princeton poised to win the game last night. He relieved Griffin Murphy in the eighth with two outs and the go-ahead run at second base. Darryl George hit a bouncer to second that Christian Lopes bobbled and threw to the covering pitcher. Browning recorded the out and saved the day with a terrific stretch at first base. It would not be Browning’s last great escape. With runners at first and second and two outs in the ninth, Browning struck out James Harris Jr. to force extras. A leadoff single, a hit batsman on a two-strike pitch and a bunt single loaded the bases for Princeton with no outs in the tenth. Browning struck out George before Omar Narvaez lined out to Smith, who was playing very shallow in center field with the winning run 90 feet away. The side-winding righty Browning completed his brilliant outing by inducing a popout to the second baseman Lopes.
26 UP, 26 DOWN: The Rays nearly racked up a perfect game’s worth of consecutive outs to finish last night’s clincher, retiring 26 straight as Bluefield did not put a man on base after Christian Lopes singled with one out in the fifth. Eli Echarry pitched five shutout innings of two-hit ball before Nick Sawyer entered in the ninth and turned in four perfect frames with eight strikeouts to get through the 12th. Pedro Silvestre set the Jays down 1-2-3 in the 13th and recorded the win.
UNLUCKY 13TH: Last night’s 13-inning contest finished well short of Princeton’s season high (last week’s 12-9 win at Pulaski that took two days and 23 innings to finish). It was Bluefield’s longest game since July 21, 2010, when they were an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. That was also a 13-inning walk-off defeat, a 7-6 loss at Kingsport. The last time Bluefield played a game longer than 13 innings was on August 30, 2006 in the season finale in Johnson City. The Cardinals won in the bottom of the 15th on a wild pitch.
VS. THE RAYS: The rival Blue Jays and Rays split the first eight games of the Mercer Cup series, before Princeton walked off the last two nights to take the title. The Rays and Jays split two one-run games in Bluefield before the third game was rained out. Jeremy Gabryszwski and Griffin Murphy combined for a shutout in Princeton, then the two clubs split a doubleheader at Bowen Field on July 21. The Jays won in Princeton to take a 4-2 lead, but the Rays have taken four straight. The Blue Jays beat Princeton in seven of 11 games last year to win the Mercer Cup. That series was also tied 4-4 with three games to play in Bluefield on August 9-11. The Jays won 6-2, then Deivy Estrada pitched five shutout innings the next night to win the clincher and keep the Rays from retiring the Cup.
- TONIGHT’S PITCHING PROBABLES -
RHP TUCKER JENSEN: Right-hander Tucker Jensen is back in the rotation after a strong relief outing on Saturday against Bristol. With Daniel Norris knocked out in the fourth inning with the Jays down 7-4, Jensen worked two and two-thirds scoreless frames to keep it close and help the Jays come back to win 8-7. He is three innings short of the league qualifier, but his 1.05 WHIP is ninth and his 30/5 K/BB ratio is seventh among Appy Leaguers with at least 30 IP. Last year, he allowed 14 earned runs in 11.1 innings in four starts for Bluefield. He excelled in eight Gulf Coast League starts to begin his career, pitching to a 1.77 ERA with an 8.9 K/9 rate to earn a one-game call-up to low-A Lansing. Between three levels he struck out 56 batters in 57 innings of work. A decorated hurler at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL, Tucker was named Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2011, also earning NAIA Second-Team All-America honors. Tucker is the grandson of 1958 American League MVP Jackie Jensen.
RHP ALEX KEUDELL: The reigning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, righty Alex Keudell, has had a great beginning to his professional career. With a 1.99 ERA in 22.2 innings, the 22-year-old has allowed 21 hits and only five walks and struck out 23. Keudell pitched for his hometown Oregon Ducks and set single-season school records in 2012 for wins (11) and innings (124.2) before being selected by Tampa Bay in the 27th round in June. He did not get a decision in his last outing on Saturday in Kingsport after allowing two runs on six hits in five innings. This will be his third appearance against Bluefield. In the Mercer Cup opener in Bluefield on July 17, he gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth and took the tough loss. On July 27 in Princeton, he pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning with two strikeouts in an eventual Rays win. Alex was chosen by the Twins in the 38th round last year, but he elected to stay at Oregon.
BULLPEN DOMINANCE: The Bluefield relievers did a marvelous job in not allowing an earned run in seven innings last night. Griffin Murphy had his 13-inning scoreless streak snapped in the seventh, but he still hasn’t surrendered an earned run in 15 and two-thirds innings over his last seven outings. Wil Browning escaped three potential game-winning rallies and Joe Spano tossed a scoreless 11th and 12th without allowing a hit. Shane Davis took the defeat on an unearned run. Both bullpens were magnificent, between Princeton’s perfect run and Bluefield limiting the Rays’ bats to 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position for the game.
INCREDI-WIL: Wil Browning pulled a trifecta of Houdini acts with Princeton poised to win the game last night. He relieved Griffin Murphy in the eighth with two outs and the go-ahead run at second base. Darryl George hit a bouncer to second that Christian Lopes bobbled and threw to the covering pitcher. Browning recorded the out and saved the day with a terrific stretch at first base. It would not be Browning’s last great escape. With runners at first and second and two outs in the ninth, Browning struck out James Harris Jr. to force extras. A leadoff single, a hit batsman on a two-strike pitch and a bunt single loaded the bases for Princeton with no outs in the tenth. Browning struck out George before Omar Narvaez lined out to Smith, who was playing very shallow in center field with the winning run 90 feet away. The side-winding righty Browning completed his brilliant outing by inducing a popout to the second baseman Lopes.
26 UP, 26 DOWN: The Rays nearly racked up a perfect game’s worth of consecutive outs to finish last night’s clincher, retiring 26 straight as Bluefield did not put a man on base after Christian Lopes singled with one out in the fifth. Eli Echarry pitched five shutout innings of two-hit ball before Nick Sawyer entered in the ninth and turned in four perfect frames with eight strikeouts to get through the 12th. Pedro Silvestre set the Jays down 1-2-3 in the 13th and recorded the win.
UNLUCKY 13TH: Last night’s 13-inning contest finished well short of Princeton’s season high (last week’s 12-9 win at Pulaski that took two days and 23 innings to finish). It was Bluefield’s longest game since July 21, 2010, when they were an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. That was also a 13-inning walk-off defeat, a 7-6 loss at Kingsport. The last time Bluefield played a game longer than 13 innings was on August 30, 2006 in the season finale in Johnson City. The Cardinals won in the bottom of the 15th on a wild pitch.
AUDIO HIGHLIGHTS: Last night's heartbreaking loss that clinched the Mercer Cup for Princeton:
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