The Florence Y’alls never trailed in this Frontier League West Division battle against the Joliet (Illinois) Slammers in a 5-3 win.
Right fielder Anthony Brocato delivered a massive hit with two out in the bottom of the eighth, smashing his team-high 17th home run over the wall in left center, scoring left fielder Ray Zuberer from third to make the final score.
“It was just a matter of time before we got a big-time hit,” Brocato said. “I was lucky I got the hit. They were pounding me sliders all day. I just happened to get a hold of one and did the job.”
The Y’alls had been 0 for 12 with runners on base up to that point. Florence saw the lead-off hitter reach five times in eight innings. But the Y’alls could not string together hits batting.
Things got tense after Brocato’s game-winning home run. The three umpires gathered and warned both benches. Joliet pitching coach Wes Anderson came out of the dugout yelling at the umpires. Anderson was ejected after a warning for him to get back in the dugout a couple times.
Florence brought in Evy Ruibal to close the game and he recorded his first save of the season. Ruibal gave up a double to Joliet first baseman Phillip Steering but struck out the next three batters.
“We had a plan for the bullpen. We literally executed down to the pitch,” said Eric Minshall, Florence pitching coach. “I’m really proud of those guys. It’s not easy to put up zeroes all the time.”
The Y’alls hit three home runs in the game. Second baseman Ethan Stern belted his third home run to right center in the bottom of the second to put Florence up 1-0 and first baseman Bryant Flete nailed his second of the year to left center in the bottom of the fifth to give the Y’alls a 3-2 lead.
The Y’alls used five pitchers in the win. Jared Flueck started and pitched the first four innings striking out three and walking two. Tommy Siemer pitched the fifth and recorded two outs in the top of the sixth before Karl Craigie came in to retire the last batter of the sixth and retire the side in the seventh inning. Sean Hughes (1-0) pitched the eighth for the Y’alls.
“We feed off each other,” Craigie said. “I know I have two, three good guys behind me. So if I have bad day, I know someone is going to come in and bail me out. When you have six dudes that can close out a game, it’s a lot less pressure for us in the game.”
Florence concludes the series Sunday at Thomas More Stadium. Game time is 1:07 p.m.