Published: August 06, 2008 09:44 am      

Moreland lifts L-Kings to win

Clinton first baseman hits walk-off RBI single in ninth

CLINTON — Mitch Moreland showed why he is the Midwest League leader in RBIs as his ninth inning single to left scored Davis Stoneburner in the ninth inning to give the Clinton LumberKings the 5-4 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

The LumberKings jumped out to a 1-0 lead in second inning as Tim Smith cracked his seventh home run of the season to right on a 0-1 count.

Clinton starter Ryan Tatusko, making his 11th start, was dominant for the first four innings as he sat down the first 12 batters he faced.

The fifth gave Tatusko trouble as he gave up his first hit, a Joseph Dunigan double to center field.

The next hitter Denny Almonte singled up the middle to score Dunigan and tie the game up at one.

Almonte moved up to second as Tatusko unleashed a wild pitch. With two outs in the frame, Blake Ochoa put the Timber Rattlers up one when he singled to center, scoring Almonte.

Tatusko went seven innings in the no-decision while striking out four and gave up no walks.

Engel Beltre led off the sixth with a walk. Beltre, who has been hot on the base paths lately, collected his 24th stolen base of the season to move up to second.

Matt Lawson walked and Moreland got his 76th RBI of the season by singling to right as Beltre scored easily from second to knot the game up at two.

The LumberKings took the lead back the next inning.

The LumberKing catcher Jose Felix led off with a walk. Kyle Murphy who had a big night by going 3-for-4 doubled to left to score Felix.

After the Murphy double, the Timber Rattlers made a pitching move and brought in Joseph Katakevich.

Stoneburner popped out to the catcher for the first out. Beltre then beat out a chopper to second that put runners on the corners. Then LumberKing manager Mike Micucci put on the most exciting play in baseball, the safety squeeze. Lawson came through by putting down a bunt that scored Murphy from third.

In the ninth, Adalberto Flores came on to close the game out. Flores didn’t have the greatest outing as he walked Almonte to lead off the ninth.

Alex Liddi went down looking for the first out. Juan Diaz flew out to left for the second out of the inning, but Ochoa walked to put the tying run on. Flores then uncorked a wild pitch that moved Almonte to third. Joe White came on to pinch hit and Alex Meneses pinch ran for Ochoa at first. Meneses would steal second to put move the tying run closer. White Walked to load the bases. Daniel Carroll who was 0-for-4 at the time came through for the Timber Rattlers with a single up the middle to score both Almonte and Meneses to tie the game up at four. Flores got Edilio Colina to pop out to end the inning.

“We try to give him (Flores) the ball in that situation. That’s really the only time when he hasn’t gotten it done. The thing that he did was only give up the two runs and not three runs to give us a chance in the bottom half” said Micuuci

Stoneburner led off the ninth with his seventh double of the season to center. Beltre put down a bunt that moved Stoneburner to third and Beltre beat out the throw from home for a infield single. Lawson then made the first out by striking out. Moreland then stepped up and flipped a single to left to score Stoneburner.

“That’s why he is third. That why we put our 1-2-3 guys were they are” said Micucci. “Just like the beginning of the year where you can use all 25 of your guys that’s when you can be successful.”

Moreland went 2-for-4 with two RBI plus the walk off hit.

The LumberKings look to take the second game of the series when they send out Michael Main for his fifth start for the LumberKings. Main is 1-0 with an ERA of 2.04.



LUMBERKINGS 5, TIMBER RATTLERS 4

WISCONSIN CLINTON

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Carroll lf 5 0 1 2 Beltre cf 4 1 2 0

Colina 2b 4 0 0 0 Lawson 2b 3 0 1 1

Garth 1b 4 0 1 0 Moreland 1b 4 0 2 2

Dunigan dh 4 1 1 0 Greene 3b 4 0 0 0

Nunez, I c 0 0 0 0 Smith, T dh 4 1 2 1

Almonte cf 3 2 1 1 Santana, C lf 4 0 1 0

Liddi 3b 4 0 0 0 Felix, J c 3 1 0 0

Diaz, J ss 4 0 0 0 Murphy, K rf 4 1 3 1

Ochoa c 3 0 2 1 Stonebrnr ss 4 1 1 0

Meneses lf 0 1 0 0 Tatusko p 0 0 0 0

Mendez, M rf 2 0 0 0 Ortiz, J p 0 0 0 0

White ph 0 0 0 0 Flores p 0 0 0 0

Escalona, J p 0 0 0 0

Renaud p 0 0 0 0

Kantakevich p 0 0 0 0



Totals 33 4 6 4 34 5 12 5



Wisconsin 000 020 002 —4

Clinton 010 001 201 —5

E—Mendez. DP—Wisconsin 4. LOB—Wisconsin 7, Clinton 9. 2B—Dunigan, Garth, Ochoa, Murphy, Stoneburner. HR—T. Smith. SB—Meneses, Beltre 2, Smith 2.

IP H R ER BB SO

Wisconsin

Renaud 6 7 4 4 5 3

Kantakevich 2 2 0 0 0 0

Escalona, J (L, 2-3) 1/3 3 1 1 0 1

Clinton

Tatusko 7 4 2 2 0 4

Ortiz, J 1 1 0 0 2 2

Flores (W, 3-1) 1 1 2 2 3 1

WP—Tatusko, Flores. Time—2:34. Attendance—890.