BY JOSH FLOYD
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
BRISTOL, Va. – And on they played.
After a 65-minute rain delay delayed Sunday’s Appalachian League contest between Princeton and visiting Bristol, the two squads more than made up for it in the latter frames. A two-run BriSox rally in the ninth pushed the game into extra frames, before Princeton's Tomas Francisco singled in the winning run in the top of the 12th, giving the Rays a 5-4 win.
Having only produced two hits since the initial inning, Bristol had its first five batters reach to begin the ninth. A leadoff walk to Jeffer Patino, along with subsequent singles from Brady Shoemaker and Misael Tavarez, loaded the bases for Daniel Wagner.
Wagner, whose eighth-inning infield single and run closed the gap to 3-2, smacked the first pitch from Princeton reliever James Hill into right – cutting the gap to 4-3. Teammate Miguel Gonzalez then drew a bases-loaded walk to even the contest.
But the Rays, however, ultimately wriggled out of the no-out mess. Harold Baines, Jr. smacked a sharp grounder which appeared to be the game-winning hit, but Princeton second baseman Seth Henry snagged the flare and sent a perfect throw home to catcher Tomas Francisco for the first out.
Hill then induced an inning-ending double play from Angel Ferreiras – Bristol’s fourth twin killing – to keep the game deadlocked.
Bristol (2-3) also had a runner in scoring position during the 10th, thanks to Lee’s single and later swipe of second, but Hill promptly fanned Patino and then retired Shoemaker on a flyout.
Princeton (3-2) received excellent starting pitching from Jason McEachern, who held the Sox to just three hits and one run over six innings. Following consecutive singles from Patino and Ryan Lee to start the first, McEachern only allowed three base runners during the remainder of his 89-pitch performance.
Henry, who walked in his first two plate appearances against Bristol starter Nevin Griffith, scored on both occasions in the second and fourth, respectively. Francisco – who scored in the ninth after his leadoff double – also threw in an RBI single in the second, as the Henry-Francisco combination gave the visitors a 3-1 edge.
Through 10 innings, the two squads combined to strand 14 runners.
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