Two Hits And Runs Batted In For Carp

(New Britain, CT – September 18, 2019) – The High Point Rockers (32-34, 73-63) defeated the New Britain Bees (34-32, 69-67) 8-4 at New Britain Stadium on Wednesday night to even up the three-game midweek series at a victory apiece. High Point’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth is at one as the visitors now lead the Bees by four games in the wild card standings with four games remaining, giving them an opportunity to advance to the post-season in their inaugural year in the Atlantic League by way of a victory tomorrow evening over New Britain, but the Bees do own the tiebreaker over High Point should the ballclubs finish with identical regular season records of 73-67, which would enable the boys from the Hardware City to make it to the post-season for the first time in franchise history.

New Britain starting pitcher Rainy Lara (8-12) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs on eight hits (one home run) in four and two-thirds innings pitched, walking three and striking out five. High Point starting pitcher John Brownell (2-0) earned the win, allowing two runs on seven hits across six and two-thirds innings on the mound, walking four while striking out six and hitting a batter.

High Point took a 3-0 lead against Lara in the top half of the third by way of an RBI double off the bat of Hector Gomez and a two-run home run produced by Richie Shaffer, his 27^th of the season (second most in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball) and seventh versus New Britain in 18 games played on the campaign. The Bees got to within 3-2 one half inning later thanks to a two-run double into the right field corner from Mike Carp that plated Zach Collier who was hit by a pitch thrown from Brownell to lead off the frame and Darren Ford who proceeded to follow the Collier plate appearance with his 12^th double of the season. The Rockers broke the game open in the fifth as they batted around and scored four more times to extend their advantage to 7-2 on RBI base knocks from Quincy Latimore and Giovanny Alfonzo and a two-run single by Myles Schroder. New Britain gave the game its final score of 8-4 in the last of the ninth when Logan Moore reached base by way of an RBI infield single to the right side as he beat reliever Brian Clark on a foot race to the first base bag, scoring Ryan Jackson who began the inning with a leadoff walk, and after Clark let the ball get away from him and roll into foul territory on the first base side on the toss from Shaffer, the error by the High Point pitcher allowed Carp to cross the plate as he hustled home all the way from second base. An Ozzie Martinez two-out free pass meant that the Bees needed one more base runner to get the tying-run into the batter’s box, but Rando Moreno flied out to Schroder in centerfield to end the thoughts of a dramatic comeback as the Rockers inched closer to playing serious late-September baseball. Carp and Jonathan Galvez each had two hits in the loss. Photo provided courtesy of Meaghan O’Donoghue.

The Bees conclude their series with the High Point Rockers at New Britain Stadium on Thursday, September 19^th as they close out their 2019 regular season home schedule. First pitch is slated for 6:35 P.M. It will be a Miller Lite Thirsty Thursday and Fan Appreciation Night! Let us show you how much our fans mean to us! Enjoy fun games and special giveaways, and all domestic drafts are just THREE DOLLARS at any concession stand! CLICK HERE for tickets.

About the New Britain Bees

The New Britain Bees are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and play their home games at New Britain Stadium. For information on ticket packages, group outings and sponsorships call 860-826-BEES (2337) or visit NBBees.com.

About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)

With eight teams in the Mid-Atlantic and Texas, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball. Through its exclusive partnership with MLB, the Atlantic League tests Major League Baseball rules and equipment initiatives. The Atlantic League has sent over 900 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 40 million fans to its affordable, family-friendly ballparks throughout its 22-year history.  For more information, please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.

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