Published: July 19, 2008 11:08 pm            

Rays get the run they need in 10th

PRINCETON — With runners on second and third and one out in the bottom of the 10th inning, Brian Bryles dropped into a 1-2 hole after swinging late on a 93-mile per hour fastball.

Bryles knew was to expect next.

“I knew he would come back with a fastball because he had thrown that one by me,” said Bryles, a 12th round draft choice in June by Tampa Bay. “I knew he would try to come back with another one.”

This time Bryles hit the ball and barely got it to the mound. That was far enough, as the Princeton Rays defeated the Danville Braves 1-0 in an Appalachian League pitching duel on Saturday night at Hunnicutt Field.

“It was a good solid baseball game,” said Princeton manager Joe Szekely, whose Rays lost the series opener to Danville 4-2, but came back with a pair of victories, 4-2 and 1-0.

“In fact, this three-game series was probably the most unlike an Appy League series of all the series we’ve played.”

Princeton (13-15), in third place in the East Division, knotted its season series with second place Danville (18-14) at 3-3. The Rays will host the Greeneville Astros today in the opener of a three-game series. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.

“Our goal is to win every series and we have done that and now we have to look next to the Greeneville series and do that,” Szekely said. “That is the only way we’re going to get back in this thing is to do that.”

Neither team could do much at the plate, other than Bryles, who had two hits _ both to the right side _ after having just three hits all season. His final contact didn’t count as a hit, but he’ll take it.

“It was a pretty good night. I’ve been struggling at the plate lately so I decided tonight to hit the ball the other way and it actually worked,” Bryles said. “I just tried to hit it the other way and I got it through.”

Princeton’s Albert Suarez, Jason McEachern and Michael Jarman (2-0) combined to allow just six hits, while striking out seven and walking one. The Rays also committed just one error.

“You can’t say enough about our pitching staff, they’ve been our bread and butter all year,” Szekely said. “They have kept us in ball games when our defense has not done much or our offense isn’t doing much. They’ve kept us in ball games and allowed us a chance to win ball games.”

Danville got equally good pitching, allowing just three Princeton hits, two to Bryles and a 10th inning single by Diogenes Luis. Angelo Paulino, Cody Railsback and Craig Kimbrel struck out 14 Princeton batters and walked just two.

“It feels good to beat them because I’ve heard they’ve got a good pitching staff,” Bryles said. “They’ve got the best ERA so beat them two times in a row, it feels good.”

It wasn’t until the 10th that the Rays could mount a rally. Luis singled and D.J. Jones followed with a bunt, but the throw to second by Danville third baseman Jon Gilmore was late. Dustin Biell followed with a sacrifice bunt, leaving Bryles at the plate with runners on second and third.

Craig Kimbrel (1-1), a hard-throwing right-hander, who had allowed no runs in 13 1/3 innings this season, blew a fastball past Bryles to put the Arkansas high school product in a hole.

“That last at bat Joe told me just to put the ball in play so we could run on contact,” Bryles said. “He was throwing some pretty good gas so I just wanted to put the ball in play and that’s what I did and it got the run in.”

On the next pitch, Bryles made contact, sending the ball between first and the pitcher’s mound. Danville first baseman Geraldo Rodriguez fielded the ball and threw home, but Luis easily beat the throw to give the Rays the win.

“I told Bryles we’re going on contact. We’ve got to have some contact, we’ve got to put the ball in play,” Szekely said. “I said, ‘I don’t care how you do it, just put it in play’ and he did to his credit. It was just a great win for us.”

Danville had a pair of scoring chances. In the sixth, the 17-year-old McEachern came out of the bullpen with two runners on and two outs and retired Gerardo Rodriguez, the league’s home run and RBI leader, on strikes. Chris Shehan led off the ninth with a single and moved to second on an error. Pinch-runner Will White attempted to move to third when a pitch got away from catcher Mayo Acosta, but he nailed the runner with a perfect throw.

“We had to manufacture one there, but the pitchers did a nice job,” Szekely said. “I thought the defense (and the pitchers) kind of picked each other up.

“I thought we made some nice plays behind them. We did make one error, but then we picked that up.”

Szekely is still holding out hope that the Rays can catch Pulaski at the top of the East Division.

“If our pitching keeps throwing the way they are, we’re going to be OK because we’ll score enough,” he said. “(Danville) swings the bats very well and our pitching staff did an outstanding job of shutting them down.”

The first 500 fans at today’s game will receive a Rays’ cowboy hat. Prizes will also be awarded compliments of Fountain Springs Golf Course in Peterstown.

— Contact Brian Woodson at

bwoodson@bdtonline.com

*****

At Hunnicutt Field

Danville..................000 000 000 0 — 0 6 0

Princeton...............000 000 000 1 — 1 3 1

Angelo Paulino, Cody Railsback (6), Craig Kimbrell (9) and Jesus Sucre. Albert Suarez, Jason McEachern (6), Michael Jarman (9) and Mayo Acosta. WP-Jarman (2-0). LP-Kimbrell (1-1). HR-none. Time-2:24. Att-582. Today’s pitchers-Greeneville, Jordan Lyles (0-1) vs. Princeton, Alexander Colome (0-2).

        

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