Pats Advance to Championship

By Melinda Quasius on September 25, 2008

BRIDGEWATER, NJ – Whether it be Atlantic League, Major League or Little League, a championship is a championship, and the Somerset Patriots are one step closer to a fourth title.

Wednesday night, the Pats closed out the York Revolution in game two of a best-of-three division championship series with a 6-4 win at Commerce Bank Park.

Fans that came out to the game saw it all Wednesday night: home runs, double plays, stellar pitching and meltdowns, comebacks and errors.

“I couldn’t have scripted that,” Patriots manager Sparky Lyle said after the game.

The Patriots struck first, breaking through against Rolando Viera when third baseman Brandon Larson singled first baseman Teuris Olivares home from third base in the top of the first inning.

Viera had stifled the Pats offense during the regular season, allowing one unearned run in 15 innings over two starts.

Somerset tagged Viera for two more runs in the second and third inning, including Larson’s 31st home run of the year.

“We were patient with Viera,” Lyle explained.

York’s starter was pulled in the fourth inning, and finished with three earned runs on nine hits and four walks. He struck out three.

The Revs were not going to let the Patriots walk all over them, though. Center fielder Kennard Jones hit a home run deep to dead center in the sixth inning against Patriots starter Kip Bouknight.

“He caught a spike and still threw it,” Lyle said of Bouknight’s pitch to Jones.

Bouknight had gone five scoreless innings before Jones’ bomb, but seemed to lose confidence after the bomb.

In the seventh, York tied the game on a two-run home run by Jason Aspito. Left fielder Matt Esquival, who reached on a Bouknight throwing error, also reached home on a double play ball hit by designated hitter Matt Padgett, giving the York a 4-3 lead.

Jason Richardson (W, 1-0) relieved Bouknight for the final out of the seventh. Bouknight finished with four runs, three earned, on six hits and no walks over six and two-thirds innings.

The Revolution’s lead did not last long. In the bottom of the seventh inning, DH Jason Belcher singled to left field and reached second on a fielding error on Esquival. Matt Hagen sacrifice bunted Belcher over to third, but Anthony Granato struck out for the second out.

The inning looked like it was over when Travis Anderson grounded to second baseman George Sandel, but Sandel did not set his feet before throwing to first base, and threw wide of Chris Ashby’s outstretched glove, allowing Belcher to score and tie the game at four.

Sandel made 31 errors during the regular season, but none proved to be as costly as the one that kept Somerset’s rally alive.

Capitalizing on York’s misfortune, the Patriots retook the lead when Anderson scored from second on a double by Elliott Ayala.

The Revolution would not score in the top of the eighth, and in the bottom of the inning, Larson doubled in Olivares for his third RBI of the game, going 3-4. Olivares scored five of the Patriots nine runs in the series.

The two run lead did not ensure a Somerset victory, though. Closer Brian Reith allowed a leadoff double to Ashby, making any batter he faced a potential tying run. Reith then struck out Aspito, got Esquival to fly out to left field and struck out Kenny Perez to end the game and the Revolution’s season.

“It wasn’t easy,” Lyle said. “We’ve got Camden now, and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”

The Atlantic League Championship will begin Friday in Camden, where game one and two will take place. The Patriots will have a chance to clinch a championship on home turf for the first time starting with game three Sunday night, with game four and five also at Commerce Bank Park, if necessary.

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