Blue Sox win Thursday night, clinch first place
By Bruce Hack
Watertown – In a game moved to Victory Field due to the weather, Lexington jumped out to an 8-0 lead and then held on for an 8-6 win over Alibrandis Thursday night. The Blue Sox win clinched a first place finish in the regular season at 18-6 for 36 points. Alibrandis is 12-10-1 for 25 points in fourth place with a game to play.
Julian Alvarez capped off the sixth run fourth inning with a three run home run, his second of the season. The Sox had Ryan O’Rourke on first (single) with two outs. Lexington took advantage of an Alibrandis error on a dropped infield pop up. Dom Zaher, Gage Gaunt and Luke Hall all delivered two-out singles that drove in a run for a 5-0 lead and setting up Alvarez.
Lexington scored twice in the third also with two outs in the inning. Brendan Jones tripled with one out. After the second out, Gaunt walked and Hall and Alvarez had RBI singles for the 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile on the mound for the Blue Sox O’Rourke faced 15 batters in his 5 innings pitched. He walked Juan Parra to start the game, struck out Pete John and then induced a double-play ground ball by Joe Maguire to end the inning. The southpaw then retired the next 12 batters, eight on strikeouts and finished with five scoreless and hitless innings. At one point he struck out five consecutive batters and seven of eight.
Alibrandis got to the Blue Sox bullpen in the sixth scoring four runs off Armando Acosta. Parra and John each had RBI singles to put Alibrandis on the board with one out. Steve Rizzuto had a two out, two-run single to make it 8-4 after six.
In the seventh with one out Alibrandis loaded the bases on singles by Charlie Auditore, pinch-hitter Tyler Ferdinand and Parra. John delivered a two-run single to make it 8-6 off Blue Sox reliever Robbie Cobb. They would get no closer as Lexington held on to sweep the season series, 4-0.
Alvarez drove in four runs for Lexington on two hits. Jones and Gaunt each scored twice and had two hits. Hall had a pair of two-out RBI.
For Alibrandis John had two hits and three RBI. Auditore scored twice and contributed two hits, including a double. Parra had two hits, a run and RBI.
O’Rourke earned his eighth win of the season finishing 8-0 with 94 strike outs in 50 innings pitched.
Scott McDonald started for Alibrandis and pitched a complete game. He gave up 13 hits, eight runs, two earned, walked three and struck out five.
Bruce Hack, Lexington Media Relations Director
