Hudson Valley takes two from Lowell 5-1, 11-3

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The Hudson Valley Renegades and the Lowell Spinners are heading in different directions as the final week of the NYPL season begins.

The Renegades are closing in on a playoff spot, while the Spinners are just playing it out.

On a sun splashed day at LeLacheur Park, the two teams met to play a Labor Day twin-bill due to a Sunday night rainout.

Hudson Valley (43-30) made good use of the afternoon doubleheader as they swept it by scores of 5-1 and 11-3.

Spinners manager Iggy Suarez said afterward “everybody tired, the game still counts, it’s a mental test to finish the season”.

In Monday’s doubleheader, Suarez trotted out his top two pitchers for their final starts of the year. In game one, Jake Thompson got the call. In his two innings of work, he gave up only one hit and no runs. A good way to end the campaign.

Hudson Valley did take advantage of the Spinners bullpen to take game one. They would plate two runs off of Dakota Smith who was the first man in after Thompson.

In the third, a HBP was followed by a single by Carl Chester (four hits in the DH) and a walk to Deion Tansel loaded the bases. Zac Law was at the plate when Smith uncorked a wild pitch that scored Bill Pujols who started the inning by getting HBP. 1-0 HV.

It became 2-0 Renegades in the fourth. After one out, Oscar Rojas doubled to center and would score on an Isaac Bernard single to left .

The Spinners got one of the runs back when Charlie Madden drove a fastball over the wall in left for his first home run of the season, 2-1 HV.

Hudson Valley put the game away with a three spot in the seventh against the third Spinners hurler of the day Devon Fisher. It backed the solid pitching of Renegades starter Brendan McKay, the first round pick of Tampa Bay. He went five innings giving up the one run on the HR, and three hits to pick up his first win of the season. Hunter Schryver picked up his sixth save of the year with two innings of three hit no run ball.

In Game two, Hudson Valley came out swigging against Tanner Houck, who had been pitching better of late. In the first, the first four hitters reached by way of base hits with RBI singles going to Tansel and Rojas. 2-0 visitors.

Houck would end his outing by allowing five hits and two runs. He turned the game over to Juan Perez who was making his Spinners debut after spending the summer throwing for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox.

His debut could have gone better. In 2.1 innings Perez gave up eight hits, eight runs, all earned and a home run, (a three run shot by Perez in the sixth part of a 7 run inning).

His Manager said afterwards that despite the game getting away from Perez, he threw the ball well. He had good sink in some of his pitches. He did leave a couple of pitchers up in the zone that were not missed by Hudson Valley batters.

Austin Franklin was HV game two starter, and much like his game one counterpart, he was good. Five innings four hits, one earned run was his line in this one. His record is now 4-2.

The Spinners offensive highlights in game two came from Marino Campana who hit his fourth HR of the season, a two run blast to right field in the sixth. Yomar Valentin had a perfect game at the plate with two hits and a walk in three at-bats.

Suarez praised both of his starting pitchers on Monday saying they have both gotten better from where they started. It was positive about both of them moving forward.

The doubleheader losses leaves the Spinners with a six-game losing streak (31-40) as the final home stand continues on Tuesday night against the Renegades with first pitch at 6:35 pm.