Elusive Win Slips Through Tourists' Fingers

LAKEWOOD— The Asheville Tourists dug themselves into a hole after the first inning on Tuesday night. What followed was a methodical effort to bring themselves back into the game against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws and take a one-run lead headed into the latter stages of the game. Jersey Shore then launched a game-winning go-ahead two-run Home Run in the bottom of the eighth. Asheville fell 7-6.

The Tourists plated a run in the top of the first with a walk, a Michael Sandle double and a Will Wagner RBI groundout. After the BlueClaws stranded Sandle at third base, their offense took advantage of Asheville’s starting pitcher, Juan Pablo Lopez, along with a Tourists error to score five runs in the bottom half. Lopez only recorded one out.

Hunter Peck settled the team down by escaping the first inning without any further damage and tossing another two scoreless frames. Asheville’s offense then took advantage Jersey Shore’s wildness to a tune of nine walks and two hit by pitches. Wagner hit an RBI triple in the third, A.J. Lee scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, and the Tourists scored three in the fifth by putting only one ball in play; an infield single.

Alfredi Jimenez kept Jersey Shore off the scoreboard after Peck departed and came within one strike of sending the game to the ninth inning with Asheville in front. With one out in the eighth inning, the Tourists dropped a pop up on the infield, their third error of the game, which allowed the tying run to reach base. Two batters later, with two strikes and two outs, Jersey Shore’s Nick Matera hit a go-ahead two-run Home Run. Asheville would not score in the ninth.

The win was the just the BlueClaws’ second of the season and it sent the Tourists to 1-9. Asheville has allowed nine unearned runs over their last two games, both one run losses, and currently ranks last in the South Atlantic League in Fielding percentage.