🍀 Interleague Game -- Carolina Yankees @ Reidsville Luckies 🍀
Luckies pitching leads them to non-league win
REIDSVILLE, NC — Jay Allred and the pitching squad of Asael Quiroz-Castellano, Nicholas Morgan, Connor Hartigan, and closer Brett Wargowsky piloted the Luckies to a victory over the Carolina Yankees, 13-5.
Things started off right for Reidsville, in the realms of both batting and fielding. Blake Freeman was responsible for three quick outs to send us to the bottom half. Travis Hammond, the leadoff man, was walked, as usual, setting up an RBI triple from Jay Allred. Edwin Bowman IV knocked in Allred, and a couple of walks loaded the bases. However, Freeman couldn’t deliver, and we headed to the second inning.
Listen to my pre-game interview with Hammond below.
In the second inning, with Hammond and Sam Melton on base, Allred crushed it, high over the right wall, giving the Luckies a 5-0 advantage.
Asael Quiroz-Castellano did a fantastic job pitching in the first third of the game, only allowing a walk and a double through three innings. However, he struggled in the fourth inning, and Nicholas Morgan would relieve him. Morgan didn’t do too much better, and the Luckies allowed five combined runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Thankfully, the Luckies had steadily added runs, and Bowman IV delivered a massive solo shot in the fifth. After five innings, it was an 8-5 ballgame.
Seventh inning. Two outs. Three-run lead for Reidsville. Hammond on second base. Allred came up to the plate, and the lefty smacked it over the right wall, once again, adding onto the lead!
Connor Hartigan had come to the mound, and didn’t allow any runs to get on the board. In the bottom of the eighth, with Cole McClain and Freeman on first and second base, Sam Melton, an occasional pitcher and outfielder, went up to bat. He then sent the ball soaring over the left wall, giving himself his first home run in a Luckies jersey.
Brett Wargowsky then closed the game mercilessly, capping it off with a swinging strikeout to seal the 13-5 win.
Lucky of the Game: Jay Allred — Four for six. Five runs batted in. Two home runs, a triple, and a single. What more can I say?
I caught up with Jay after the game, and learned a little bit more about him. He’s the newest addition to the team, and played here last year, before heading to the Carolina Collegiate League and deciding to come back. Interview above.
I also did a brief interview with his father, James Allred, who was in attendance for the game. The audio was less than perfect, so I wrote out the transcript below.
“I’m here with Jay Allred’s dad, Jay did a fantastic job tonight, had two home runs, Lucky of the Game, Moment of the Game, and Jay’s coming back from another team in North Carolina. How did you influence him as a player?”
“Just trying to support Jay along the way, he’s a really hard worker, and I’m really proud of him. It’s good to see a lot of hard work paying off.”
“What’s your favorite part about the Reidsville Luckies?”
“This is Jay’s returning season with the Luckies, he played here last year. It’s a great environment, I like to see the local fans support him, and seeing all these players get to show up again.”
I then informed James of “Santa” Eric Smith being elated about the return of Jay, showing that he still has fans from last year.
“Can we expect you to be at the Luckies’ games this weekend?”
“I plan on it.”
“Did you play any baseball?”
“I maxed out in middle school, so he’s definitely taking it a lot farther than I ever could.”
Moment of the Game: Jay Allred launches his second home run of the night, which is a two-run shot sky-high over the right wall — Carolina was closing in on the Luckies, who had steadily put up runs, but hadn’t had any fireworks in quite a while. Allred absolutely smashed it, as Kunjaki Mayami couldn’t do anything but watch as it glided into the parking lot.
Fun Events — We had Andrews Opata, who is nine for ten in his past two games with the Luckies, join us in the broadcast booth for the bottom of the fifth and the top of the sixth. Also, Kristian Amaro joined us in the seventh inning for an interview.
Notes — This wasn’t a very meaningful win for the Luckies, as it doesn’t count in the official league standings. But, it does help to establish some momentum heading into their Central Division games this weekend.
Currently, the Sanford Spinners lead the division at 7-4, the Sandhills Bogeys follow at 6-6, and the rest each have 7 losses apiece. The Hushpuppies are 5-7, the Luckies are 4-7, and the Gliders are 3-7. It’s a packed division, and with the way that the schedule shakes out for the other teams this weekend, the Luckies could definitely be climbing up a few rungs on the playoff ladder soon.
On-Deck — The Luckies will face another Carolina team tomorrow, the Carolina Ducks, and, this weekend, they battle the Oak City Gliders and the Sanford Spinners. The Luckies need to keep it rolling against the Ducks tomorrow if they want to win their Central Division games this weekend.
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