The Florence Y’alls head back home hoping to put their six-game road trip behind them quickly.
After losing two of three at Sussex County, the Y’alls (17-16) ventured north to face the Tri-City ValleyCats (19-14) and experienced their first sweep of the season extending their losing streak to five games. They lost a third straight game in walk-off fashion on Saturday before giving up big innings in both doubleheader losses on Sunday.
Florence stands in fourth place in the Frontier League West Division standings. The Y’alls are 3.5 games behind the division-leading Gateway Grizzlies and Schaumburg Boomers, who are both 20-12, and three behind the third-place Evansville Otters (20-13).
“We’re one-third of the way through the season so right now, we have to learn lessons that we better not have to show that we need to learn again,” said Chad Rhoades, Florence Manager. “They’re hard lessons to take, hard lessons to learn. But fortunately, we’re in a part of the season where if we do learn those and we apply the understanding it will play to us better.”
Heavy rain forced a postponement of Friday’s game against the ValleyCats. Florence then fell behind 5-0 to Tri-City on Saturday before rallying to tie at 5-5 in the top of the eighth inning. Right fielder Ray Zuberer hit a two-run home run before catcher Cooper Edwards belted a three-run blast to tie the game.
But Tri-City walked it off in the bottom of the ninth on Carson McCusker’s solo homer with one out.
“After you score, (you have to) go out there and get a zero,” Edwards said. “The tough thing with the bottom of the last inning is that one pitch can hurt you. I think we’re on it. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing and we’ll be alright.”
Florence outhit Tri-City, 11-10. First baseman Craig Massey went 3-for-5 with a triple and scored one run. Zuberer and Edwards both went 2-for-3 scoring one run each.
The Y’alls lost the first game of the doubleheader on Sunday, 6-1. Tri-City scored on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the second before pulling away with five in the bottom of the sixth in the seven-inning game. Second baseman Harrison DiNicola prevented the shutout with a solo home run in the top of the seventh.
Tri-City doubled up Florence in hits, 8-4. Rodney Hutchinson (1-2) took the loss for the Y’alls, pitching three innings, striking out three and walking three.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say their pitching was dominant or better than ours necessarily,” Rhoades said. “I would just say they stayed on us. They worked ahead really well. We just didn’t get those big knocks when we needed. We brought some guys in tight situations hoping for success and we didn’t see that success.”
The ValleyCats completed the sweep with a 6-2 win in the second game. Tri-City committed two errors, but the Y’alls could not take advantage of the miscues.
Tri-City scored twice in the bottom of the first before the Y’alls scored one in the top of the second. Brian Fuentes scored when Jeremiah Burks reached on a Tri-City error. Zuberer then tied the game in the top of the fifth, doubling in center fielder Cole Brannen. But the ValleyCats scored four in the bottom of the fifth to make the final score.
Florence starter Bobby Brabrand (2-3) took the loss pitching into the fifth inning, striking out seven and walking two. Sean Hughes relieved him and Kent Klyman pitched a scoreless sixth inning for the Y’alls.
Tri-City outhit Florence, 6-5. Fuentes went 2-for-3 to lead the Y’alls, adding a double.
Florence opens a nine-game home series against Gateway on Tuesday at 6:32 p.m.