Cannons Come From Behind To Beat Flying L’s 8-6

Fall baseball is a time to learn from mistakes and improve talents. It’s a time for young guys to make a name for themselves, while others fight for playing time.

Thursday night proved to be a great opportunity for both the Flying L’s and the Cannons to fight through mistakes and continue to grow.

In a game that featured 12 errors, wild pitches and clutch hitting, the Cannons prevailed 8-6 over the Flying L’s.

“We have a really young team,” Cannons manager Nick James said. “I try to make sure our players improve and compete everyday. We take pride in our day to day work.”

In the first inning, the Cannons took advantage of a double and two walks to score their first two runs. After a one-out double by Jeremy Viveros and back-to-back walks, Josh Viveros doubled to left-center to make it 2-0. The Flying L’s Chase Navarro escaped further damage with a popout and a strikeout.

The Flying L’s took the momentum and answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Kenny Miggins singled to lead off the frame, and Matt Gibson followed with a double. The next two batters were retired, leaving Alec Bryant with runners on second and third and two outs. Bryant delivered with a bases-clearing triple to tie it. The Flying L’s weren’t done, as Lucas Berken singled home Bryant to take the lead.

After giving up another run in the bottom of the third, the Cannons faced a two-run deficit and looked to be running out if time, heading into the fifth.

However, Daniel Donofrio quickly erased the lead with a two-run blast off Flying L’s reliever Brandon Rodriguez, squaring the game at 4.

The Flying L’s did not sit quietly as they scored two runs in the fifth to regain the lead. Matt Freeman walked, Alec Bryant and Alex Honner singled to load the bases with two outs. The next hitter, Alex Ferguson, hit a sharp line drive by the third baseman to make it 6-4.

With time running out, the Cannons came up in the sixth for their final chance. The squad answered, scoring four runs.

The inning started with an error by the pitcher and a single by Andrew Gross. The hit forced a pitching change, which turned to gold for the Cannons, as the reliever walked the next batter and uncorked three wild pitches, allowing two runs to score. Zach Warienus broke the 6-6 tie with an RBI groundout. Weston Clemente put the final stamp on the scoring with solo home run to push the lead to 8-6.

Frankie Corridori pitched a scoreless inning in the sixth to pick up the victory. He tossed two shut out innings in relief.

For the Flying L’s, it was another tough loss, as they could not put a team away late and dropping their second straight game.

“We had plenty of opportunities to put this team away,” manager Terry Portice said. “We just couldn’t make the plays late or come up with the big hits. It’s tough, but that’s the beauty of fall ball, keep improving and getting better.”

The Cannons will now face the Eagles on Saturday, with the winner, guaranteed a spot on the next round.

“We are excited,” said Josh Viveros about facing the undefeated Eagles. “Can’t wait!”

Click here to view the photo gallery for this game.

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