Tourists Fall 5-4 in Extras, Lose Fourth Straight One Run Game

ABERDEEN - Déjà vu struck the Asheville Tourists on Friday night as the Aberdeen IronBirds delivered their third straight walk-off one run win in extra innings. Asheville overcame a three-run deficit to force extras but fell in ten innings by a score of 5-4. It is the Tourists fourth consecutive one-run loss to the IronBirds.

Just like in the first three games of the series, the Tourists scored the game’s initial run when Justin Dirden hit a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Asheville entered the series 23-7 on the season when scoring first; they have lost all four to the IronBirds. Aberdeen countered Asheville’s run with four of their own in the bottom of the third.

The Tourists rallied back into the game with a few timely hits and excellent relief pitching. Luis Guerrero hit a solo Home Run in the fifth and Dirden added an RBI single. Enmanuel Valdez tied the game with a clutch two-out RBI single in the top of the eighth; his 70th RBI of the season.

Mark Moclair relieved Asheville’s starting pitcher Angel Macuare and threw 1.1 innings before turning the baseball over to Julio Robaina. In his Tourists debut, Robaina was electric. The left-hander covered the final five innings of regulation without allowing a run.

Asheville failed to score in the top of the tenth and Robaina recorded two quick outs in the bottom of the tenth before a groundball snuck through the infield for the walk off heroics. Robaina struck out 10 in 5.2 innings. It is the most strikeouts by a Tourists pitcher in a game this season.

J.C. Correa led the way offensively with a 4-for-5 performance. Three of Correa’s hits were doubles. Asheville’s offense struck out 18 times on the night and went just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.