June 6
by Jayson O’Connell – boonvillelumberjacks.com
UTICA, N.Y. – The Boonville Lumberjacks’ weekend didn’t end the way they wanted it to. They lost to the Utica Blue Sox 4-2 on Sunday in a game where two of the runs they gave up were unearned.
Boonville had another shot at Utica in a morning game on the road. It was the Blue Sox’s kid’s day out; multiple schools brought students out to Donovan Stadium for a field trip.
The Lumberjacks spoiled the event with a 4-3 win in the second edition of the Route 12 rivalry. All of Boonville’s runs came in the top of the third inning.
The rally started because of lapses in the field from Utica. Andrew Goldan walked Dom Jackson to lead off. Samuel Fleming reached first base on a catcher interference and Jacob Reeves reached on an error the following at bat.
Right fielder Matt Layton followed with an RBI single where Fleming was tagged out at home trying to score a second run. Dylan Mercedes put two more runs on the board with a single that scored Reeves and Layton.
Mercedes now has three RBIs on the season and is first on the team in slugging percentage amongst players with 10 or more plate appearances.
“I’m just telling myself that the pitcher has to come to me at the end of the day,” said Mercedes. “I just want to stay confident, stay level with my swing and not do too much.”
Mercedes was the fourth runner to score when designated hitter Hugo Kohnhorst brought him home with a single.
A single inning of scoring was enough because of a great outing from the Boonville pitching staff. Right hander Albert Bobadilla threw six innings while striking out three batters in route to being the winning pitcher.
But Bobadilla’s own performance was the least of his worries. “We won. That’s all I care about. I don’t care about how good I pitch, as long as we get the ‘W’,” said Bobadilla.
Jacob Phillips closed the door in the ninth inning to record the save. Utica made it interesting by recording two singles with two outs, but Phillips struck out Pablo Santos to finish the game.
“I had my whole infield talking to me and just trusting me,” said Phillips. “I knew I had the stuff to get out of it.”
Utica scored first in the bottom of the fourth when first baseman Will Shannon hit an RBI triple off the right field wall. Shannon and right fielder Taylor Kaufman had RBI singles in the sixth and eighth inning respectively.
Boonville doesn’t play on Wednesday but will return home for a game against Watertown on Thursday. Utica will play Amsterdam on the road on Wednesday.