The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Bridgewater, New Jersey – The Somerset Patriots (21-37, 63-65) scored five runs in the fifth inning on Tuesday night to down the Sugar Land Skeeters (30-27, 65-62) 11-5 at TD Bank Ballpark.
Somerset got started in the first with an Olmo Rosario (1) solo home run. After the first two batters reached in the third, the Patriots added two more via a Scott Kelly RBI single and a Rosario sacrifice fly RBI.
But the Skeeters roared back scoring three runs over the next two frames.
Denis Phipps reached on a leadoff walk then advanced to second and third on a pair of wild pitches. Then, Juan Silverio recorded a sacrifice fly RBI to score the run.
Blair Beck (4) led off the fifth with a home run to cut the Patriots lead to just one, and later in the inning Phipps drove the game tying run in on a double to right center field.
Somerset responded with five runs in the bottom of the fifth on five hits. Rey Navarro singled to begin the inning, then Kengor and Rosario reached to load the bases with just one out. Paredes added a sacrifice fly RBI to set Somerset ahead, and Edwin Espinal put an exclamation mark on the inning with a three-run double. Teodoro Martinez capped off the inning with an RBI single to push Somerset ahead 8-3.
Kengor hit his Patriot-leading 14th home run in the sixth.
Somerset and Sugar Land each scored a run in the seventh and eighth innings. Wynton Bernard (5) began the seventh with a home run. Martinez recorded a sacrifice fly RBI in the bottom of the inning to make it a 10-4 game.
In the eighth, Juan Silverio (14) added a solo home run. In the bottom of the inning, Paredes tallied an RBI to round out the scoring.
Zack Dodson (2-2) earned the win after he pitched five frames and allowed three runs on four hits. Chase De Jong (4-4) gave up eight runs in five innings and was handed the loss.
The 2019 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford continues tomorrow September 11. The Patriots will honor first responders prior to the game. For tickets, stop by the box office located at TD Bank Ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visit www.somersetpatriots.com.
