Box Score

Photo Credit: Jimmy McCumber

The Valley Baseball League was one strike away in their Southern Collegiate Showcase opener but couldn’t hold onto an early 5-0 lead in a 5-5 tie with the Florida League.

Andrew Labosky looped an RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, landing just inside the left field line to tie the contest.

The Valley had runners on first and third with one out in the eighth but couldn’t add a much-needed insurance run to their 5-4 lead. Reliever Zebulon Vermillion struck out Alex Brait, and Austin Embler was thrown out at home to end the threat. Embler kept the Florida League from tying it in the bottom half however, doing well to hold a runner at third on a groundout with one away.

Embler and Chase Cheek each went 2-for-4 at the plate for the VBL.

The Valley offense featured a number of players producing runs at near-record pace this summer, and the team wasted no time by scoring five times in a second inning that including a home run and two runners stealing home.

After a dangerous top of the order was set down 1-2-3 in the first, JD Mundy led off the second with a line drive over the right-centerfield fence.

Jackson Webb and Aaron Palensky both went home on double steals in the frame. Palensky knocked in Cheek and Embler doubled in Turks teammate Zach Little with a shot that the first baseman couldn’t handle.

Catcher William Simoneit and the VBL defense also prevented Florida from getting any early momentum by throwing out three runners at second base over the first two innings.

Florida finally got to VBL starter Kyle Arjona with two outs in the third, as Nick DeTringo singled in Javeon Cody and Matthew Mulkey to make it 5-2 VBL. Jarrod Cande made it 5-3 with an RBI triple in the fourth- the third consecutive FL run with Florida down their final strike of the inning.

The Florida League inched to within one in the bottom of the sixth. DeTringo improved to 3-for-3 on the day with a triple and then came home on a wild pitch to make it 5-4.

The VBL will conclude the 2018 Showcase tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. against the Sunbelt League.