Redwings Can't Hold Off Late Rally, Fall to Tigers

Hoboken (2-3) failed to make routine plays Monday afternoon, and it cost them the game in the final innings. Memorial (4-2) scored two in the sixth and the go-ahead-run in the seventh, on an error, for the 3-2 win.

Starting pitcher Sal Pagan kept the Tigers scoreless through five innings. He left the game with two on and one out in the sixth. Kenny Roder came in from left field to finish the game.

The first batter Roder faced, Jose Toribio, reached on a single. Anthony Urandeta followed with a sacrifice fly for the second out, scoring Ariel Soriano. Soriano had reached on an infield hit, barely beating out the throw from short. Jonathon Susini followed with an RBI single to tie the game, 2-2. Roder got the next batter down on strikes, but the damage was done.

In the seventh, Ivan Rosario led off with a single, and was bunted over to second. Roder got the next batter swinging. With two outs, Soriano grounded to second. Luis Morales bobbled the ball, and Rosario came all the way around to score the go-ahead-run.

The heart of the Redwings order came up in the sixth and seventh, but five of the seven batters struck out.

"We had 3-4-5 up in the sixth, that's exactly who you want in those situations," Coach Buddy Matthews said. "But they're striking out on bad pitches, or looking. We need more discipline at the plate."

Hoboken took a 1-0 lead on Roder's third-inning RBI single, the Redwings' first hit of the game. They added a run in the fifth on Roder's sacrifice fly. Travis Haber and Danny Rivera also had hits in the inning.

Only five Tigers reached base over the first five innings, while Pagan struck out six. But Matthews sensed it was time to pull him.

"Sal struggled in the beginning," Matthews said. "You could see he was getting tired with the pitch count up over 90 pitches.

Matthews sees room for improvement at the plate and in the field. "Memorial got some clutch his, we just didn't make routine plays," he said. "We struck out too many times with runners in scoring position."

Hoboken will look to even their record at 3-3 on Wednesday. They take on Dickinson H.S. at home at 4:30pm.