FREDERICK, MD – The Ghost Hounds were dealt yet another late inning loss on Wednesday night, dropping the middle game of the series to the Ducks by an 11-9 score.
The Hounds got two runs in the first two innings on a pair of solo home runs. In the first, it was Craig Dedelow who went deep, with Osvaldo Abreu following that up with a blast of his own in the second.
The Ducks had a chance to mount together runs in the fourth, but the inning ended prematurely after Craig Dedelow threw out Alejandro De Aza trying to advance to third on a fly ball to right.
They would finally break through in the sixth, however. A Ruben Tejada single and De Aza sacrifice fly knotted the game up at two. Both runs against Dustin Beggs were unearned due to an error earlier in the inning.
Raudy Read then led off the sixth inning with a solo home run of his own, the third solo blast for the Ghost Hounds in the game. Later in the inning against new reliever Joe Kuzia, Leobaldo Cabrera knocked a base hit the other way to score yet another, putting Spire City up 4-2.
After striking out Brantley Bell to end the seventh inning, Beggs was tossed from the game by the home plate umpire. Beggs had been upset about the previous pitch being ruled a ball, and was quickly ejected walking off the mound. Mark Minicozzi was ejected as well.
Jose Marmolejos did what he could to avenge his ejected teammate, blasting a ball over the left field wall to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. A wild pitch later in the inning coupled with a Starlin Castro single put the Ghost Hounds up 8-2.
But John Witkowski ran into trouble in the eighth inning. After back to back walks to start the inning, Ruben Tejada singled home a run, and Alejandro de Aza doubled a pair home. After Witkowski was lifted for Jeff Johnson, Sam Travis plated De Aza with a sacrifice fly to cut the game to 8-6.
Spire City turned to Victor Capellan in the ninth inning. After the Ducks loaded the bases with nobody out, the Hounds traded a run for a double play ball, but also moved the tying run to third base. The Ghost Hounds would intentionally walk De Aza before Capellan walked Travis to again load the bases. The game was then tied when Alex Dickerson drew a bases loaded walk.
Leobaldo Cabrera knocked a two out double in the ninth inning but was left stranded.
Capellan stayed on the mound for the tenth inning, which saw the Ghost Hounds misplay three separate inning ending double play balls. Between those and a De Aza single, the Ducks led 11-8 heading to the bottom half.
Marmolejos doubled in Dedelow in the 10th but the Hounds could not get anything else across, dropping yet another heartbreaker by an 11-9 final.
They will look to avoid the sweep tomorrow when Zac Rosscup takes the mound.
Notes:
- Prior to his ejection, Dustin Beggs allowed just two unearned runs on five hits, striking out three. He had only thrown 84 pitches
