Published: July 11, 2008 10:15 am            

Princeton, Bluefield split series

PRINCETON — Home field advantage turned out to be big in the battle for the Mercer Cup last week. The Princeton Rays and Bluefield Orioles split a two-game series last week, each claiming victory on their home turf.

Bluefield’s Orioles were up 2-1 in the cross-county rivalry when the Baby Birds came to Hunnicutt Field July 2 to take on the Rays before a capacity crowd from both ends of Mercer County.

Princeton started the scoring early, sending three runs home in the bottom of the first inning, but the O’s answered in the third and fourth to claim the lead 4-3.

Then, in the bottom of the sixth inning, D.J. Jones walked and advanced to second base on a balk. He ran home when Ramon Novas singled on a fly to the out field. The run tied the score and rallied the Princeton fans, who rank cowbells, blew whistles, waved clackers and cheered for the Rays to “boogie round them bases.”

Princeton’s Dustin Biell flew out to left field, and Tim Beckham struck out swinging to close the inning. But momentum was behind the Rays.

Eli Sonoqui and Elias Otero both singled to center in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Bluefield walked the bases loaded when Orioles’ pitcher Kyle Touchatt opted not to pitch to D.J. Jones.

There were two out when Rays’ rightfielder Ramon Novas stepped up to bat. He slammed a three-run triple to right field, and all three baserunners scored, putting the Rays on top.

The scoreboard showed the Rays ahead 7-4 when the O’s offense returned to the field in the top of the eighth inning.

Bluefield’s rightfielder, Lance West, did his part for the O’s, when he belted a home run. But, the rest of a rally never materialized.

The Rays went to bat in the bottom of the eighth, leading by 2. Diogenes Luis swung on his third strike, but the wild pitch still sent him to first before Beckham struck out. Burt Reynolds grounded out, but the ball gave Luis enough time to get to second. He scored on an Sonoqui single to right field.

Jeremy Beckham doubled to right, sending Sonoqui home and the score to 9-5, Princeton. The O’s couldn’t come back in the ninth, and the game was over.

The Rays win knotted the Mercer Cup series at 2-2, but the tie wouldn’t hold a full 24 hours.

Princeton’s Angel Chapa got credit for the win, and Bluefield’s Touchatt was scored with the loss. Mike Jarman scored the save.

•••

The next night proved to be a different story, as the O’s dominated and brought home a 6-2 win before the Bluefield crowd.

After four innings, the Orioles led by 3.

In the fifth inning, Princeton replaced pitcher Joseph Cruz with Kyle Ayers, who then walked Bluefield’s Richard D. Oleo just in time for Lance West’s homer to right center field. The score stood at 5-0, Bluefield, after five innings.

The Rays looked for a bright spot in Bluefield during the seventh inning. Oriole Josh Faiola walked Ramon Novas, and David Genao pushed the runner to second with a single. D.J. Jones grounded into a force-out, but Novas stayed safe at third. He scored on a wild pitch from Faiola.

The Orioles weren’t finished scoring though. Robert Stevens scored on a Luis Bernardo ground-out, taking the O’s to a 6-1 lead, just before Buck Britton ended the seventh inning with a ground out.

The Rays tried to come back one more time in the top of the ninth, but the effort proved to be too little too late.

Eli Sonoqui doubled on a line drive and advanced the bases on two consecutive Rays’ ground-outs and scored Princeton’s second point of the night. It would be the last, and the game ended in a Bluefield 6-2 victory.

The Baby Birds lead the Mercer Cup series by a margin of 3-2.

Orioles pitcher Kenny Moreland walked away with the win, while Rays’ Joseph Cruz sustained the loss.

        

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