On Wednesday night, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs took on the Charlotte Knights in game two of the series. The IronPigs were looking to take sole possession of first place with a win.
Bailey Falter (4-1, 2.20 ERA) was on the mound for Lehigh Valley, while the Knights started John Parke (2-10, 6.79 ERA).
In the bottom of the first inning, the IronPigs had an opportunity to get on board after singles from Dalton Guthrie, Simon Muzziotti, and a fielder’s choice by Yairo Munoz. Unfortunately, Johan Camargo lined out, Chris Sharpe struck out, and Josh Ockimey grounded out, ending the inning.
IronPigs’ shortstop Scott Kingery started the bottom of the second inning with a double. It was his eighth double of the season. Up next was IronPigs’ second baseman Ali Castillo. He grounded towards Knights’ first baseman Zach Remillard for the first out, but Kingery moved to third base for catcher Jack Conley.
Conley grounded towards third baseman Jake Burger, who made the throw over the first base for the second out, and Kingery scored for a 1-0 lead. After Dalton Guthrie was hit by Parke, Simon Muzziotti grounded out to shortstop Romy Gonzales, ending the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, IronPigs’ shortstop Scott Kingery singled to center field with one out and Ali Castillo coming to the plate. Castillo grounded towards Knights’ shortstop Romy Gonzales, moving Kingery to second base, while Castillo was out at first base. IronPigs’ catcher Jack Conley was up next.
Conley singled to left field, moving Kingery to third base for Dalton Guthrie. Guthrie grounded out to Romy Gonzales, ending the inning. It was the second time in the game that the IronPigs left runners in scoring position.
IronPigs’ first baseman Josh Ockimey started the bottom of the sixth inning with a walk, followed by a strikeout from Scott Kingery. IronPigs’ second baseman Ali Castillo was up next, and he singled on a ground ball to third base, beating the throw at first base, while Ockimey moved to second base for Jack Conley.
Once again, Conley and Dalton Guthrie struck out swinging, ending the inning. Had the IronPigs taken advantage of these scoring opportunities, the IronPigs could’ve easily put five runs or more on the Knights.
Sam Coonrod was the new IronPigs pitcher to start the seventh inning. Bailey Falter did a great job going six innings, allowing one hit, no runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts in 80 pitches. Coonrod walked Carlos Perez, followed by an Adam Haseley fly-out.
Then, Blake Rutherford singled, and Zach Remillard lined out for Micker Adolfo. Coonrod gave up a ground-rule double to Adolfo, scoring Perez that tied the game 1-1. Finally, he got Nick Ciuffo to ground out to retire the side.
When you are protecting a one-run lead, you need your best pitchers out there. Coonrod should not have been put in that position. Michael Kelly or James Marvel would’ve been a better choice in that spot.
Tyler Cyr was the new IronPigs pitcher to start the top of the eighth inning. He struck out Romy Gonzales, followed by a single from Yolbert Sanchez. Knights’ third baseman Jake Burger was next to bat. During his plate appearance, Cyr threw a wild pitch, moving Sanchez to second base. Then, Burger singled off the wall at right field, scoring Sanchez and the Knights took a 2-1 lead. Finally, Cyr struck out Carlos Perez to retire the side.
Jakob Hernandez pitched for the IronPigs at the top of the ninth inning. He went one inning, allowing one hit, no runs, no walks, and one strikeout in 19 pitches.
Bennett Sousa closed out the game for the Knights in the bottom of the ninth inning. He struck out Ali Castillo, followed by walking Jack Conley. Then, Sousa struck out Dalton Guthrie and Simon Muzziotti, ending the game.
The IronPigs lost 2-1 and are now 59-48 for the season. They are also in a three-way tie for first place as Durham won their third game in a row, and Jacksonville has lost three straight games.
Dan Winkler (0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 8 pitches) was the winning pitcher for the Knights, while the loss went to Tyler Cyr (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 10 pitches). It was Cyr’s third loss of the season.
The series continues tonight at 7:05 pm. Tickets for the game can be purchased on StubHub, and pick up IronPigs merchandise today at Fanatics.com.
