Patriots Lead Early, But Fall Short 6-5 To Bluefish

Bridgewater, NJ – The Bridgeport Bluefish (12-10, 42-50) defeated the Somerset Patriots (12-10, 50-42) 6-5 at TD Bank Ballpark on Friday evening.

The Patriots took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Aharon Eggleston and an RBI groundout by Brian Van Kirk.

An RBI groundout by Bridgeport’s Angelys Nina cut the lead in half in the second inning.

Somerset answered with a run in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly by Eric Farris that extended the lead to 3-1.

Luis Mateo gave the Patriots a 4-1 advantage in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI double.

The Bluefish took a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning on a grand slam by Jose Gil (2).

“I thought it was a game we had under control for a while. But that’s the crazy thing about this game,” said Somerset Patriots manager Brett Jodie. “You get a couple guys on there and give up a big hit or two and it can all change on you.”

Bridgeport’s final run came in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Luis Hernandez that made the score 6-4.

David Vidal launched a solo home run (9) in the bottom of the ninth inning for the 6-5 final.

“My timing has been right,” said David Vidal, who is hitting .357 with four home runs and 10 RBI in his last ten games. “I’ve been a lot more calm at the plate and letting the ball come to me, which all starts with the right timing.”

Matt Iannazzo (1-3) picked up the win, allowing a run on two hits in 1.1 innings pitched. Rudy Owens (2-3) suffered the loss, allowing five earned runs on four hits in six innings pitched. Jose Veras earned his sixth save of the season.

The 2016 Somerset Patriots season presented by Ford will continue at home on Saturday night with a 7:05 pm game against the Bridgeport Bluefish. The game includes Post Game Fireworks presented by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.  For tickets, call 908-252-0700 or visit www.somersetpatriots.com. Download our Mobile App for free in the Apple or Android App store.