SANFORD, ME–The Blue Sox head to Goodall Park seeking vengeance after the Sanford Mainers broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the ninth after a controversial call at second. The Mainers come into the contest on a 9-1 tear and lead the North Division.
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LAST TIME THEY MET: The Blue Sox wasted a brilliant performance by Anthony Elia as the Sanford Mainers walked off 1-0 in an NECBL North Division contest at Goodall Park in Sanford on June 30.
Elia was nigh-unhittable, staying perfect through four. The Mainers had an apparent hit robbed in the fifth by an outstanding play at short by Angelo La Bruna before barely beating out a throw to leg out an infield single on the next at-bat. He exited the game after 6.1 innings of one hit, two walk work with three strikeouts.
The Blue Sox bats could not match Elia’s arm, however, as right fielder Bobby Stahel had both of Valley’s hits, striking a double to left in the first to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, but that was the only runner in scoring position all night.
In the eighth, the Mainers had two on and one out and hit a hot shot down the line, but third baseman Frank Crinella snared it, tagged third, and threw to first for the out.
However, in the ninth, the Mainers had a man reach on a single, and then after a controversial play where the runner was called safe at second, the next Mainers batter doubled to left to end the game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Blue Sox are 8-9 all-time with a 3-6 showing historically at Goodall Park since joining the league in 2008. They went 0-3 in Sanford that year, the only year prior to this one in which both teams were in the same division.
PITCHING PROBABLES: Elia will take another crack at the Mainers after dominating them in his last start; the senior lefty from Seton Hall is 1-1 with a 2.34 ERA in five appearances this year, and in 23 innings of work has 22 strikeouts to just seven walks. Against him, the Mainers plan to send University of Maryland-College Park senior righty Robert Ruse to the mound. Ruse has made two starts this season, and is 0-2 with a 6.51 ERA over 9.2 innings with 11 strikeouts and four walks.
LAST TIME OUT: A season-high crowd of 2,257 fans saw stellar defense and a lot of hard-hit balls, but little luck for the Valley Blue Sox in a 5-0 loss to the Ocean State Waves at Mackenzie Stadium on July 6.
Ocean State scored what proved to be the winning run just half an inning into the game, with a walk and two doubles in the first. They added two in the sixth, one in the seventh, and one in the ninth as well.
The Blue Sox were plagued with misfortune at the plate all game long. They got the leadoff man on in the fifth as catcher Justin Hazard singled, and the next batter hit a line drive that was snared by the pitcher and made into a double play. In the seventh, they loaded the bases with no outs, only to see another liner snared by the pitcher for a 1-3 DP and were unable to score. In the ninth, they had runners at the corners but could not plate anyone.
Sanford scored the only run of the game in the fourth in a rain-shortened five inning win at the Danbury Westerners yesterday. Starter Brett Adcock earned the win, fanning nine in the faux-complete game one-hitter, though the Mainers themselves managed just two hits.
WHO’S HOT: Blue Sox catcher Justin Hazard is 4-for-10 with a walk since arriving in the Valley three games ago. Sanford’s Kendall Patrick has reached base in 11 straight games and leads the league in being hit by pitches with nine to go with nine walks.
GAME-TIME WEATHER FORECAST: Mostly Cloudy, 79 degrees, winds south at 7 MPH, 10% chance of rain.
NEXT UP: The Blue Sox return home July 9 to battle the Danbury Westerners on HGE Night and Basketball Hall of Fame Night for a 6:35 p.m. start, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m.