Published: July 18, 2008 10:33 am            

Orioles, P-Rays split series

PRINCETON — The weather may have turned out to be the Princeton Rays’ toughest opponent recently.

Out of the last 11 scheduled games, water or wet grounds washed six of the contests, including an entire series scheduled July 8-10 against the Bristol White Sox at Hunnicutt Field.

When play resumed last Friday, the Bluefield Orioles came to town and handed the Rays another loss in the race for the coveted Mercer Cup. With the win, the O’s took a 4-2 advantage in the series that will determine which Mercer County baseball team gets bragging rights for the next year.

After seven innings, Friday’s game was tied 6-6, but the Baby Birds scored runs in each of their last two at-bats, to claim the 8-6 victory.

The O’s took the lead on a rally that began when Ronnie Welty singled to right field. A Levi Carolus bunt resulted in the Orioles’ first out of the inning, but it pushed Welty to second base before a Burt Reynolds fielding error at third allowed the runner to advance one more time.

Building on bunting success, Oriole Rodolfo Cardona sacrificed another in order to bring Welty home.

After the Rays failed to score in their half of the eighth, the O’s built their lead with the insurance run in the top of the ninth, and the game ended 8-6.

The next night ended differently, as the Rays claimed a win, 6-4.

Bluefield scored first, knocking in a run in each of the third and fourth innings, but walks and throwing errors helped the Rays knot the score in the bottom of the fourth.

With two outs, Eli Sonoqui walked, and a throwing error on a pick-off attempt sent him to second. Elias Otero brought him home with a double to left field.

Otero took third on a wild pitch, and Mayo Acosta walked. Then, with Rays’ D.J. Jones batting, Otero scored on another pick-off throwing error.

The score stood at 2-2.

Bluefield fought back in the fifth, as Robert Stevens took the bases with a single, only to return home when Elvin Polanco sent a homer over the right field wall.

The Rays were good for three more runs, though as they scored again in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, keeping the Mercer Cup within grasp with a 4-3 Bluefield advantage.

Up next, the Rays left home to face the Burlington Royals.

At the end of the series, the Rays took two, and gave up one in the three-game series.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline.net.

        

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