Ford And Galvez Both Go Yard En Route To The Victory

(New Britain, CT– June 7, 2018) – The New Britain Bees (15-23) used a late scoring rally to defeat the Somerset Patriots (22-14) 5-3 at New Britain Stadium on Thursday night to take the four-game series opener and close the gap in the Liberty Division Standings.

Bees pitcher Elvin Ramirez (1-3) grabbed his first win of the season after tossing a hitless eighth inning of relief, while starter Rainy Lara pitched five and one-third innings, allowing just one run on seven hits and striking out one in 24 batters faced. Somerset’s Mike Antonini (2-1) was tagged with the loss, surrendering two runs on two hits and a pair of sacrifice flies that put New Britain back on top.

The game started out with a bang for the hometown Bees, as Darren Ford cracked his third home run over the left field wall to lead off the bottom of the first and put New Britain ahead early. In the bottom of the second, Somerset starter Duane Below gave up another tater, this time to Jonathan Galvez in left center, his second big fly of the campaign. Jamar Walton followed the Galvez big fly with a double and moved to third on a base knock from Vinny Siena and raced home on a RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of James Skelton. Somerset was sluggish to begin the evening offensively, but started to heat up in the top of the sixth when Lara gave up an RBI base hit to Somerset’s Aaron Dudley. The following inning, Josh Outman came in as relief for the boys from the Hardware City and gave up two more produced by Justin Trapp and Craig Massey to knot the ballgame up at three. After scoring their three early runs to begin the game, the New Britain bats went cold in the next five innings, but came alive when they needed it most in the eighth. Reid Brignac began the frame with a single down the right filed line, followed by a double from Deibinson Romero that moved Brignac over to third. Jason Rogers stepped up to the plate and lifted a high fly ball into left field that gave Brignac just enough time to tag up and break the tie. Matt Tuiasosopo followed that with a sacrifice fly of his own that brought across Romero and gave the home team some insurance heading into the ninth. Evan Scribner closed out the game for the Bees, allowing one hit but forcing a groundout to the dangerous cleanup hitter Massey Massey to secure the Bees 15^th win of the season. Brignac and Galvez led the way for the Bees with a pair of hits each. Photo provided courtesy of Joe Doll.

New Britain continues their series with the Somerset Patriots at New Britain Stadium on Friday, June 8^th. First Pitch is scheduled for 6:35 P.M. It will be another Fat Tire Friday, as fans 21 and over can enjoy the game with a Fat Tire Belgian Style Ale. Drafts are just five 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)

The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment. For more information, please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.

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