Blue Sox Fight Back to Even the Series

Melrose – An afternoon rainstorm prompted a change in venue, but even that could not derail the Lexington Blue Sox as they defeated Middlesex 3-1 in a game played at Pine Banks Park and knot the finals series at 1-1.
The heavy rainfall made Morelli Field unplayable, so the teams arranged to play game two on the turf field at Pine Banks.
Game three will return to Morelli Wednesday night with a 7:45 first pitch.
Lexington struck quickly in the first inning. With one out Josue Feliciano lined a single to left. After an errant pickoff throw by Middlesex pitcher David Kerns, Feliciano moved to second. Julian Alvarez walked to put Sox on first and second. Cam Meyer singled to left and Feliciano rounded third and came home with the Sox first run.
For the fifth straight playoff game a Blue Sox opponent scored in the first inning. The Expos Kebler Peralta singled with one out to start the rally. After the second out cleanup hitter Dionys Quezada singled into right and Peralta went to third. A wayward throw back to first from right fielder Alvarez allowed Peralta to come home with the tying run.
Neither team could put up another run in the second and third innings, but in the fourth inning the Blue Sox broke open the tie game.
Matt Chatelle hit his second home run of the postseason as he blasted a slider over the left field fence to give Lexington a 2-1 lead. After the second out Morgan Brown bounced a ground ball up the middle and reached on a single. Ernie Little was hit by pitch putting Blue Sox on first and second. Dom Zaher followed with a single and Brown raced home to give the Blue Sox a 3-1 lead.
Robbie Cobb made his second start of the playoffs, for the Blue Sox. He improved to 2—0 pitching five strong innings. Cobb scattered five hits, allowed an unearned run, walked three and struck out two.
Setup man Borja Jones-Berasaluce pitched a scoreless sixth for Lexington. He struck out 2 of the four batters he faced. Manny Delcarmen came in the seventh to close out the game. He struck out the first two batters he faced and retired leadoff hitter Idelson Taveras on a comebacker to save the game.
David Kerns started for Middlesex and went the distance. In his 7 innings of work, he scattered 5 hits, gave up 3 earned runs, walked one and struck out four. Kerns retired six straight Blue Sox batters from the fifth through seventh.
Peralta and Quezada each had two of the Expos five hits.
Meyer was 3-for-3 for the Sox with a run and stole a base. Chatelle was 2-for-3 with a home run, run, RBI.
The game was played in an efficient one hour and 46 minutes.

From the Stat Sheet – This was the fifth time Lexington has played a playoff game at Pine Banks. The previous four were against Andre and the Sox had split those games. This was the third finals game Lexington has played at Pine Banks and it first win. The Blue Sox are now 3-2 at Pine Banks in postseason games.
Matt Chatelle is the fifth Blue Sox player to hit two homeruns in the postseason since 2006.
Middlesex is now 2-2 in game two of a playoff series and 0-2 in game two of the finals.

Written by Bruce Hack, Lexington Director of Media Relations

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