The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Sugar Land, Texas- The Sugar Land Skeeters (9-11, 39-51) carried three home runs and a strong pitching performance into a 7-1 defeat of the Somerset Patriots (11-9, 53-37) in Friday night’s series-opener at Constellation Field.
Joe Benson (5) opened up the scoring for Sugar Land with a leadoff solo home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning. The Skeeters doubled their lead in the fourth on a Cole Gillespie. 
Sugar Land extended their lead out to 6-0 in the fifth thanks to a four-run frame. A Derek Miller two-run home run, Joe Benson RBI double and a Cole Gillespie RBI single highlighted the inning. Miller later added an RBI double one inning later to increase the lead to 7-0.
Somerset’s lone run came on an RBI groundout from Justin Pacchioli in the top of the eighth inning.
Mitch Talbot (5-2) earned the win with six scoreless, three-hit innings on the mound. David Kubiak (4-8) suffered the loss after he allowed seven runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts over six innings.
Somerset continues its six-game series in Sugar Land Saturday night. Connor Root (0-1, 3.62 ERA) takes the mound for the Patriots against Skeeters’ righty Jake Hale (6-2, 2.60 ERA). First pitch at Constellation Field is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT and 7:05 p.m. ET.
Tickets to the 2017 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford, which includes the team’s 20th Anniversary, are on sale now. For more information, stop by the ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visit www.somersetpatriots.com.
About The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 37 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 800 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment to metropolitan markets serving nearly 15% of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
