Orleans Firebirds

Lambson and Boyd Star in Instant Classic at YD

July 6, 2010

By Tyler Maland

South Yarmouth, Mass. - How's that for a two day debut. Mitchell Lambson (Arizona St.) entered a 3-3 ball game with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday night, and remarkably prevented that winning run from scoring with three straight outs, setting the stage for Jayce Boyd (Florida St.) to single home two in the tenth in a wild 5-3 win.

Tying the game in the seventh and holding the Firebirds without a baserunner for the last three innings of regulation, the Red Sox had evidently sucked the air out of a Firebirds team looking to win its second straight game. Ben McMahan (Florida) led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to left, and an error by second baseman Kolten Wong (Hawai'i) on the ensuing bunt attempt landed runners on second and third. After an intentional walk to load the bases, the YD dugout was ready to explode with three chances to move one runner up 90 feet and win the game.

Then entered Mitchell Lambson. The lefty, who threw an impressive 1-2-3 eighth Monday night to hold on to a 2-1 lead against Chatham, provided an impossibly masterful performance to deny YD its walk-off win. Mixing a powerful fastball with a devastating curve, Lambson got pinch hitter Joe Panik (St. Johns) to fly out to shallow left for the first out. With a 2-1 count to the next hitter, Matt Hamlet (Boston College), YD went for the suicide squeeze, sending McMahan from third as Lambson delivered. The run would have scored easily, but Hamlet's bunt attempt trickled foul down the first baseline. He swung through Lambson's next pitch, a curveball, for the second out. Finally, leadoff hitter Caleb Ramsey (Houston) grounded to second, allowing Wong to field the ball on one hop and step on second base to end the inning.

Invigorated by Lambson's gutsy feat, the Orleans offense proved its own worth in the top of the tenth. Wong led things off, and was down quickly in the count 0-2. He worked it back to 3-2 and fouled off three Douglas Baxendale (Arkansas) pitches in the process before smacking a single right back up the middle. Matt Newman (Arizona St.) failed to move Wong over on a bunt, but quickly redeemed himself by lining his own single up the middle. Riccio Torrez (Arizona St.) (pictured left) bunted both runners into scoring position, giving Jayce Boyd (Florida St.) a chance with one out and the infield in on the grass. Boyd, who homered in his first game of the summer last Friday at YD, grounded a single through the right side to score both runners and snatch the lead back.

Lambson came back out for the tenth, and calmly retired the heart of YD's order consecutively to end the game as darkness settled over Red Wilson Field. Lambson (1-0) has now retired all nine batters he's faced in three perfect innings of work in two games.

Matt Sisto (Hawai'i) started the game for the Firebirds, and hurled five scoreless innings of two-hit ball to extend his scoreless innings streak to over twenty. The righty was ahead of hitters all day long, and threw 42 of his 63 pitches for strikes.

Orleans scored in the first inning on two Red Sox errors, and added two more runs in a four-hit sixth to make it 3-1. But when Sisto left the game after five and Jack Leathersich (UMASS-Lowell) entered in relief, YD took advantage. Tyler Hanover (Louisianna St.) hit a one-out double to right center, and two batters later Matt Watson (Boston College) launched a two-run homer off of Leathersich to right center. Matt Vinson (Arkansas) added an RBI double to center in the seventh to tie the game at three. Vinson tried to score from second base on an infield single later in the inning, but third baseman Torrez took a behind-the-runner throw from shortstop Shon Roe (Loyola Marymount) and alertly fired the ball home to catch Vinson sliding head first to end the inning.

Wong was 1-for-4 with two runs for Orleans. Roe was 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth. Torrez got his first hit of the summer in a 1-for-3 outing, and was on base three times.

Baxendale got the loss for YD (1-2) despite retiring the first five batters he faced, including three consecutive strikeouts in a 1-2-3 ninth. Randy Fontanez (South Florida) started for YD, and gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits in five and two thirds innings.

After losing its first three games against the Red Sox, the Firebirds finally got one and improve to 9-12. YD drops to 14-7. Both teams have Wednesday off, and Orleans will have a three game homestand this weekend starting with a 7:00 p.m. matchup against YD Thursday evening at Eldredge Park.

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Home Firebirds News Game Day Central Roster Statistics Coaching Staff Sounds of the Game Clinics Volunteer Alumni Contact	Lambson and Boyd Star in Instant Classic at YD July 6, 2010 By Tyler Maland South Yarmouth, Mass. - How's that for a two day debut. Mitchell Lambson (Arizona St.) entered a 3-3 ball game with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday night, and remarkably prevented that winning run from scoring with three straight outs, setting the stage for Jayce Boyd (Florida St.) to single home two in the tenth in a wild 5-3 win. Tying the game in the seventh and holding the Firebirds without a baserunner for the last three innings of regulation, the Red Sox had evidently sucked the air out of a Firebirds team looking to win its second straight game. Ben McMahan (Florida) led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to left, and an error by second baseman Kolten Wong (Hawai'i) on the ensuing bunt attempt landed runners on second and third. After an intentional walk to load the bases, the YD dugout was ready to explode with three chances to move one runner up 90 feet and win the game. Then entered Mitchell Lambson. The lefty, who threw an impressive 1-2-3 eighth Monday night to hold on to a 2-1 lead against Chatham, provided an impossibly masterful performance to deny YD its walk-off win. Mixing a powerful fastball with a devastating curve, Lambson got pinch hitter Joe Panik (St. Johns) to fly out to shallow left for the first out. With a 2-1 count to the next hitter, Matt Hamlet (Boston College), YD went for the suicide squeeze, sending McMahan from third as Lambson delivered. The run would have scored easily, but Hamlet's bunt attempt trickled foul down the first baseline. He swung through Lambson's next pitch, a curveball, for the second out. Finally, leadoff hitter Caleb Ramsey (Houston) grounded to second, allowing Wong to field the ball on one hop and step on second base to end the inning. Invigorated by Lambson's gutsy feat, the Orleans offense proved its own worth in the top of the tenth. Wong led things off, and was down quickly in the count 0-2. He worked it back to 3-2 and fouled off three Douglas Baxendale (Arkansas) pitches in the process before smacking a single right back up the middle. Matt Newman (Arizona St.) failed to move Wong over on a bunt, but quickly redeemed himself by lining his own single up the middle. Riccio Torrez (Arizona St.) (pictured left) bunted both runners into scoring position, giving Jayce Boyd (Florida St.) a chance with one out and the infield in on the grass. Boyd, who homered in his first game of the summer last Friday at YD, grounded a single through the right side to score both runners and snatch the lead back. Lambson came back out for the tenth, and calmly retired the heart of YD's order consecutively to end the game as darkness settled over Red Wilson Field. Lambson (1-0) has now retired all nine batters he's faced in three perfect innings of work in two games. Matt Sisto (Hawai'i) started the game for the Firebirds, and hurled five scoreless innings of two-hit ball to extend his scoreless innings streak to over twenty. The righty was ahead of hitters all day long, and threw 42 of his 63 pitches for strikes. Orleans scored in the first inning on two Red Sox errors, and added two more runs in a four-hit sixth to make it 3-1. But when Sisto left the game after five and Jack Leathersich (UMASS-Lowell) entered in relief, YD took advantage. Tyler Hanover (Louisianna St.) hit a one-out double to right center, and two batters later Matt Watson (Boston College) launched a two-run homer off of Leathersich to right center. Matt Vinson (Arkansas) added an RBI double to center in the seventh to tie the game at three. Vinson tried to score from second base on an infield single later in the inning, but third baseman Torrez took a behind-the-runner throw from shortstop Shon Roe (Loyola Marymount) and alertly fired the ball home to catch Vinson sliding head first to end the inning. Wong was 1-for-4 with two runs for Orleans. Roe was 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth. Torrez got his first hit of the summer in a 1-for-3 outing, and was on base three times. Baxendale got the loss for YD (1-2) despite retiring the first five batters he faced, including three consecutive strikeouts in a 1-2-3 ninth. Randy Fontanez (South Florida) started for YD, and gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits in five and two thirds innings. After losing its first three games against the Red Sox, the Firebirds finally got one and improve to 9-12. YD drops to 14-7. Both teams have Wednesday off, and Orleans will have a three game homestand this weekend starting with a 7:00 p.m. matchup against YD Thursday evening at Eldredge Park. (Box Score) View the Post-Game interview with Mitchell Lambson