Ledford vs. East Rutherford

I heard Ledford won tonight forcing a Game 3 back at Ledford. Does anyone know if that's true and if so did East Rutherford throw Cullen Park or save him for a Game 3

Thanks in advance

 

Didn't I read in a post that Park was not going to pitch Friday night?

 

"Panthers shaky but survive 5-3 to play in Game 3"

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/may/24/panthers-shaky-but-survive-to-play-in-game-3/?news

Winston Salem Journal - By Ron Wagner

Thanks to Justin Livengood, the Ledford Panthers can laugh about how poorly they played Friday night.
They can also still play for the 2-A state championship.

Livengood, a senior right-hander, survived short rest, East Rutherford's bats and his own shaky defense to keep Ledford alive with a 5-3 win over the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the best-of-three semifinal series.

A day after a four-error disaster led to a 7-2 loss, Ledford wasn't much better with its season on the line. But Livengood, the team's undefeated ace, took up the slack by controlling the Cavaliers for seven innings on six hits.

"We had a big-time gutsy performance out of Livengood," Ledford coach Chris Adams said. "The kid just threw Tuesday and came back and gave us seven great innings, and if we make a couple of plays behind him he doesn't have to throw as much as he had to."

Livengood threw 114 pitches, but it would have been quite a few less if his teammates hadn't committed three errors and allowed a sure fly ball out to fall untouched for a double.

Offensively, Ledford was nearly as shaky. The Panthers left 10 runners on base, including the bases loaded twice, but two-run homers from Livengood, in the fifth, and Patrick Koontz, with his 10th of the season in the first, provided just enough offense.

‘They by far had more opportunities than we did. They pitched out of a lot of jams. If we'd have come back and won the game it would have been a non-deserving win for sure," East coach Bobby Reynolds said.

"We're sitting there getting ready to let them spread it on out, and after each winning we're like, how are we not losing 11-1?"

Instead, the Cavaliers were inches from winning. East's Cullen Park sent a towering fly ball to deep left center with two on and two outs in the fifth that looked like a certain three-run homer before Ledford center fielder Ryan Fitzgerald reached over the six-foot fence and brought it back.

It was the one defensive play the Panthers had to have, and they made it. "We had many opportunities to break the game open and just didn't get it done. But we held on long enough to get the win, and I'm happy with that," Adams said.

Four straight walks after Livengood's homer provided Ledford's final run.
The Cavaliers scored single runs in the first, sixth and seventh. In the first, Michael Milam singled home Seth Baldwin, who had doubled, and Tripp Hodge's single scored Milam in the sixth to cut the Ledford lead to 5-2.

The bottom of the seventh was a bizarre inning in which Tyler Deaton lead off with a double when Ledford left fielder Jacob Scott lost his high fly ball in the lights and end with an interference double play.

After a strikeout, Park also struck out but reached on a wild pitch, and a wild throw to first from Koontz, the catcher, let Deaton race home. Milam then grounded back to Livengood, who threw to second baseman Cory Alcon to get Park and Milam was called out when Park ran into Alcon's arm as he tried to throw to first.

The deciding game will be tonight at Ledford, with the winner advancing to take on Hillsborough Orange. East will start Park, its ace, while Adams called his starter "the million-dollar question."

Reynolds was quick to say that the pitching advantage the Cavaliers seem to have won't necessarily guarantee a win.

"The best-laid plans don't always materialize," he said. "You've still got to go up and take care of business. I've seen lots of good pitchers lose the final game when they were heavy favorites or it looked like it was to their advantage."

Ledford 200 030 0 -- 5 8 3
East Rutherford 100 001 1 -- 3 6 0

Milam, Hodge (1), Deaton (5); Livengood. WP - Milam. LP – Livengood (9-0). 2B – Baldwin (ER), Deaton (ER). HR – Koontz (L), Livengood (L). Records – Ledford, 25-7. East, 22-9.

Leading hitters: L, Vaughn 2-4, 2 runs; Koontz 2-3, run, 2 RBIs. ER, Deaton 2-4, run; Baldwin 1-3, run.

 

Park did not pitch Friday. He will start tonight. That certainly is no guarantee for East Rutherford, though. Ledford is a good team. The first two games could have went either way, so tonight should be a good one.