Lowell sweeps up Tri-City with a 2-1 victory

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The Lowell Spinners (32-27), came into this weekend series vs Tri-City (33-27) needing to win it to keep their division title hopes alive. They did just that, and then some as the Spinners swept the series from the division leading Valley Cats taking Sunday night’s game 2-1.

Spinners manager Cory Wimberly has said from day one of the season that if his team takes care of the baseball, this is a good team. This weekend, Lowell’s defense was good and so was their pitching. Sunday night was a prime example. The infield turned three double plays and Spinners starter Yorvin Pantoja was terrific. He went six and two-thirds of four hit, one run ball. It all added up to a great weekend at the ballpark for the Lowell Spinners as they defeat the Valley Cats 2-1. With the weekend sweep, the Spinners moved to within one half-game of first place in the Stealer Division with two weeks left in the regular season.

Tri-City had opportunities early on in this one, but the double play ball would haunt them every time. It happened in the first after a leadoff base hit, Enmanuel Valdez smacked into a 4-6-3 double play. In the second, after the first two men reached Pantoja himself started a 1-6-3 twin killing. In the fourth, after a leadoff walk, Valley Cats right fielder Carlos Machado hit into the third DP turn by the Spinners infield. On this night, Tri-City just kept hitting into bad luck.

The Spinners were not tearing the cover off the ball themselves. Through five innings, Lowell had only two hits. But in the sixth, they pieced enough together to take the lead.

Tri-City relief pitcher Austin Hanson, came on for starter Brett Connie to try and keep the game deadlocked at zero. Hansen was greeted by a leadoff single by Korby Batesole, that was followed up by a walk to Lane Milligan. Both runners would move up a base on a Hansen wild pitch. Devlin Grandberg could not score the runners as he grounded out with the infield drawn in. With one out and runners in scoring position, Tyler Esplin hit a fielder’s choice ground ball that Valley Cats second baseman Austin Dennis could not field cleanly. It scored Batesole from third, and Lowell had a 1-0 lead.

They added to the advantage against Hansen as Spinners DH Xavier LeGrant ripped a hard line drive double off the wall in left. The extra-base hit scored Milligan and gave Lowell a 2-0 lead.

Pantoja pitched into the seventh inning getting the first two hitters out before Alex Holderbach, Tri-City’s DH tooPantojaia over the wall in left field for his second home run of the year. It would cut the Spinners lead in half and ended the night for Pantoja.

Cory Wimberly went to his bullpen, and got the results he was looking for. First, Logan Browing went an inning and a third of three hit no run baseball. In the ninth, the game was turned over to the closer Andrew Politi who gave up a single to the first hitter he faced, Austin Dennis. But then, he retired the next three batters for his sixth save of the year.

The win goes to Pantoja now 4-1, and the loss goes to Hansen and he is now 2-2. The Spinners hit the road for a brief but important three game set vs Staten Island before returning to Lowell to face Vermont at the end of the week.

 

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