Baseball Somerset Patriots Are The 2015 Atlantic League Champions by Somerset Patriots October 6, 2015 Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots clinched the 2015 Atlantic League Championship by defeating the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 3-1 in the best-of-five series. The Patriots defeated the Blue Crabs 3-1 in Game Four behind another dominant performance by Playoff MVP Roy Merritt (3-0), who allowed an unearned run with six strikeouts in seven innings of work. “He didn’t have his best stuff, but he did what he had to do to get tough outs. He pounded the zone and his performance speaks for itself,” said catcher Adam Donachie, who won his first professional championship in his fourth season in Somerset. Somerset took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run by designated hitter Thomas Neal (1). “I was just looking to stay in the middle of the field and continue to swing the bat the best I can. He threw a slider and I stayed on it and was fortunate enough to hit-put a good swing on it-and hit it out,” Neal said. The Blue Crabs answered in the bottom of the second after an error by Robert Andino extended the inning and allowed Jamar Walton to score on an RBI single by Fred Lewis that evened up the score at 1-1. The Patriots broke the tie with two runs in the seventh. With the bases loaded, David Vidal scored on a passed ball and Neal once again played the hero with an RBI single to provide the 3-1 final. Merritt was named the Playoff MVP for his 3-0 record, 0.41 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched. He pitched in two deciding playoff games and won both, including a complete game in Game Five of the Liberty Division Series. “Roy’s our big game guy. He’s a guy that we’ve loved in every situation the last two years, in any critical situation. That’s one thing about the post season. You never know who can handle that load. We know he can. We have a history with him and know we want him out on the mound,” Somerset Patriots manager Brett Jodie said. Tim Sexton (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits in six innings pitched. Jon Hunton earned his second save of the playoffs with a scoreless ninth. The 2015 Atlantic League Championship marks the first of Brett Jodie’s career as Somerset Patriots manager. He won one as a player with the team in 2003 and two as pitching coach in 2008 and 2009. The championship is the sixth for the Somerset Patriots, who have previously won in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008, and 2009. The Somerset Patriots would like to thank their fans for a Championship 2015 Season. For more information about the team, visit www.somersetpatriots.com. Post Views: 1,276 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Somerset Patriots Latest posts by Somerset Patriots (see all) Somerset Patriots Announce Added Programming On Radio Partner 1450 WCTC-AM - May 7, 2020 Somerset Patriots Bring Back All-Star RHP David Kubiak - April 7, 2020 Somerset Patriots Land Eight-Year Major Leaguer Vance Worley - March 27, 2020 Somerset Patriots Acquire Major League LHP Pat Dean - March 10, 2020 Related Topics2015 SeasonAdam DonachieAtlantic League ChampionsBrett JodieDavid VidalGame RecapJon HuntonPlayoffsRobert AndinoRoy MerrittSomerset PatriotsThomas Neal Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 More in Baseball You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 108: WFAN’s Sweeny Murti (Audio/Video) On the 108th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... New York Yankees CC Sabathia to Check into Alcohol Rehabilitation, Miss 2015 Playoffs Meet Rico Noel, Yankees Pinch-run Specialist