06/13/2007

Rally monkeys: Bums come back again

TC scores 8 in final 2 innings of 11-6 victory

Trailing 5-3 in the top of the eighth inning against the Rockford bullpen, the Beach Bums batted around and five men crossed the plate as the Beach Bums took their first lead since the top of the first. Justin Holmes drew a leadoff walk. Brad Vericker followed with a double to put the tying runs in scoring position as Holmes moved to third. Curtis Ledbetter pulled the Beach Bums within a run with a sacrifice fly. Jeff Vincent tied it with a single to score Vericker. The Beach Bums continued, scoring three more times as a run came in on an error and J.T. Thomas drove in two with a double.

After Brett Bostelman struck out the side, Ben Ramsey hit a three-run homer to add to the lead in the ninth. Ramsey was chosen as the Player of the Game following a 2-for-4 performance with the homers, three RBI, and two runs scored. Justin Holmes had two hits and three runs scored, Brad Vericker, Curtis Ledbetter, Jeff Vincent, and Lance Koenig each added three hits. Jeff Williams earned his second win of the series while Bostelman recorded his second save.

The Beach Bums grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Justin Holmes singled and moved to second on a passed ball. He scored on an RBI single off the bat of Curtis Ledbetter. Ledbetter then scored from first on a double by Jeff Vincent.

In the bottom of the first Rockford continued their first inning thunder in the series by plating two runs off of Beach Bums starter Robbie McClellan to knot the game at 2-2. Rockford has scored 11 first inning runs in the series.

Traverse City put a run on the board in the fifth to pull within 5-3 as Lance Koenig led off the inning with his team leading seventh double of the season. Koenig moved to third on a sacrifice and scored following a wild pitch by Rockford starter Dave Dowling.

After Monday's game, the RiverHawks released pitchers Gerad Bryan, John Brownell and Chad Catalano and signed right-handers Drew Himes and Roy Baca and lefty Roy Bringelson — all rookies. The Beach Bums had scored 30 runs in three games off the RiverHawk pitching staff.