Red Rallies to Even Red-Black World Series at 1-1
10/31/2009 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 31, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Adam Kolarek hit a solo home run to spark a three-run, eighth-inning rally to lead the Red team to a 6-5 comeback victory against Black Saturday afternoon at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium at Shipley Field, evening the Red-Black World Series at a game apiece.
Black held a 4-3 lead with two outs and no one on base in the top of the eighth inning when Kolarek tied the game with a solo homer to right-center against Matt Passauer. Red wasn't done, though. Marcus Breeden followed Kolarek with a double down the left-field line and the inning continued on a fielding error.
Anthony Perez gave Red the lead, driving in two runs with a double off the wall in left-center field.
Down 6-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Black team rallied and threatened to earn the victory. Tom Bailey singled against Kyle Blackwell to lead off the inning and Gary Schneider doubled down the left field line to put the tying run in scoring position with no outs.
Blackwell got a big out in the ensuing at-bat, striking out Dan Gentzler. David Poutier cut the deficit to one with a sacrifice fly to center field, but Blackwell got the final out on a Jon Wilson pop-out to shortstop.
Black scored the first run of the game, scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth, but Red followed with three in the top of the fifth. Red scored three unearned runs with two outs on an RBI single by Will Swoope and a two-run single by Mike Rozak.
An RBI single by Poutier and an RBI double by Brandon Padula tied the game for Black in the sixth and it took a 4-3 lead in the seventh on another RBI single by Poutier, before Red rallied in the eighth.
Sander Beck pitched five solid innings for Red, allowing one run on three hits. Jimmy Reed earned the win, pitching two innings of relief and Blackwell earned a six-out save. Passauer was the losing pitcher for Black in relief of Matt Fullerton, who did not allow an earned run in five innings, striking out five and walking none.
Poutier went 3-for-4 for the second straight day in a losing effort for Black. Nine different players recorded hits for Red.
The decisive game of the Red-Black World Series is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday. The game is open to the public at no cost.
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