The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
New Britain, Conn. – The Somerset Patriots (30-20) rallied around five unanswered runs late to earn a 5-3 come-from-behind victory over the New Britain Bees (17-32) in Sunday afternoon’s series-finale at New Britain Stadium.
New Britain jumped in front to take a 1-0 lead in the first on a Craig Maddox sacrifice fly. The Bees added two more runs in the third on RBI doubles from Jovan Rosa and Michael Crouse.
The Patriots later evened the ballgame with a three-run seventh inning. An RBI double from Tyler Bortnick, RBI ground-out from Greg Golson and a two-out RBI single from Carlos Guzman highlighted the inning.
Somerset then took the lead for good in the top of the eighth inning on a two-run single from Scott Kelly.
“I was just looking for something out over the plate to do the job,” said Kelly, referring to his eighth-inning go-ahead single. “It started with Yovan’s big at-bat to begin the inning, then it went down the line and got to me. I got a good pitch and put a good swing on it.”
Ronnie Shaban (1-1) earned the win after two-thirds of an inning of scoreless relief. Shawn Gilblair (0-2) took the loss after he allowed two runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. Jon Hunton (2) earned the save with a scoreless bottom of the ninth inning. Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision.
Somerset has Monday off before beginning a three-game series at TD Bank Ballpark Tuesday night against the Long Island Ducks.
Tickets to the 2017 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford, which includes the team’s 20th Anniversary, are on sale now. TD Bank Ballpark will be the host of the 2017 Atlantic League All-Star Game presented by RWJBarnabas Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey on Wednesday, July 12th. 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 36 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.
