The Paterson Black Sox came into the weekend prepared for their Saturday night/Sunday morning matchups versus the Brinley Rumrunners and the Hunterdon Pirates. After an 0-4 start to their season, the Sox knew they were back on the right path after a dramatic extra inning victory versus the Fairview Royals the weekend before.
The scheduled game at Larry Doby Field Saturday night versus the Rumrunners was switched to the Totowa Oval due to the poor field conditions. The Sox started the game scoring two quick runs in the first inning, but a silent offense and some miscues defensively put the Sox behind in the game quickly. The Sox came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning down 11-3, and yet another demoralizing defeat in the back of their minds. But the relentless Black Sox, just like their team's history has shown, knew getting knocked down means getting back up and they would tack on a five run inning to shorten the deficit to 11-8. With momentum on their side, the Sox would add an additional six runs in the eighth giving them a 14-11 lead. The eleven run, eight walk, five hit, two inning performance by the Sox was all that Frank "The Tank" Zelaya needed as he shut down the Rumrunners to complete the game. Zelaya's brilliant pitching performance inspired the team's offense, as he was flawless for three innings allowing no runs while striking out four (struck out the side to end the game).
After a dramatic Saturday night encounter with the Rummies, the Sox had to be up bright-and-early for their next morning matchup versus the Hunterdon Pirates in Flemington. They showed to the ballpark a little short handed, with some key bats and arms out of the lineup for the game. But the team never lost it's composure battling with the 2008 Conference champion Pirates for nine innings.
The Sox were off to another quick start taking a 4-0 lead by the third innings but the Pirates answered right back with four of their own in the bottom of the third. The Sox added six more and regained the lead 10-4 by the sixth, but a tired Diego Santos and short bullpen took affect on the team as the Pirates exploded with a seven run sixth inning giving them the 11-10 lead. "Iron" Mike DiGiulio came in relief and was lights-out for the remaining 2 1/3 innings striking out five with no hits or runs allowed. However the dominance of DiGiulio wasn't enough as the Pirates bullpen shutdown the Sox for three innings helping them to the final score of 11-10. The Sox left the field in dissatisfaction knowing they controlled the game most of the way, but content with the fact they played so well considering they had so many key players absent from the game.
The Black Sox will have their chance for redemption as they rematch the Pirates this Sunday June 14th at the Skylands Park Stadium in August, NJ at 1pm. The Sox are playing in their first ever stadium game and wish that all their friends and family come join them for this memorable event.
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