Sports

International league

By Van Rose vrose@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter

MOOSIC—Yankee pitcher Ian Kennedy came within one out of pitching a no hitter in the second game of Thursday night’s doubleheader against Richmond.

The 24-year-old right-hander lost his no-hit bid when Scott Thorman blasted an RBI double into the right field gap with two outs in the top of the seventh inning that tied the score at 1-1.

Scott Strickland picked up the win when the Yankees won the nightcap, 4-1, on a three-run walkoff home run by Ben Broussard in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The R-Braves won the opener, 6-3, snapping the Yankees’ 10-game winning streak.

The Yankees (64-42) committed four errors while Kennedy was in the game, including a fielding error by second baseman Chris Basak with two outs in the seventh.

Basak tried to field a groundball off the bat of Barbaro Canizares, but the ball fell out of his glove while he was moving to his left.

Kennedy said the seventh inning was a heart-pounding experience.

“My adrenaline was pumping, but I felt really good. I thought to myself that I wanted to keep the ball down.”

Thorman’s double came on a changeup, Kennedy added.

“I threw him several fastballs earlier in the game, so I figured he might be looking fastball.”

Kennedy thought he had the no hitter when he saw Canizares’ grounder to Basak.

“It looked like he was going to catch it, but he dropped it,” said Kennedy. “I was still pumped up, though. I was pitching entirely on adrenaline in the seventh.”

Kennedy received a thunderous standing ovation from the crowd of 7,000-plus when he walked off the field after the inning ended. “That was a great experience,” he said.

One of the most rewarding parts of Thursday’s game for Kennedy occurred when Basak hit a one-out triple in the Yankee seventh, even though he wound up stranded.

“I was really glad to see Basak hit that triple,” Kennedy said. “I’m so proud of him because he didn’t deserve the boos he received in the seventh. It wasn’t his fault (the error).”

Kennedy said he was hitting on all cylinders throughout the game. “Everything was in sync.”

Yankee manager Dave Miley may have summed it up best.

“Kennedy pitched a hell of a game. I don’t if I’ve ever seen a better one.”

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre also made a pair of errors in the fourth inning. Right fielder Greg Porter committed the fourth error when he dropped the ball after he dropped the ball after retrieving Thorman’s double in the seventh that wound up allowing him to reach third.

The Yankees got off to a fast start in the opener, taking a 3-0 lead on a three-run home run by Ben Broussard—a towering shot over the left field fence.

Juan Miranda started things off with a leadoff single, and Cody Ransom followed with a double—setting the stage for Broussard’s fifth long ball of the season.

However, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre went into an offensive funk the rest of the way—managing just six hits in the final five innings.

Richmond, meanwhile began chipping away at the lead. The R-Braves drew to within 3-2 with a pair of runs in the fourth off Yankee starter Ross Ohlendorf.

Barbaro Canizares scored on a bases loaded single by Carl Loadenthal and Scott Thorman came home when Clint Sammons grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Ohnledorf (1-1) had a subpar outing—surrendering four runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings of work and took the loss.

Looking ahead

NEXT GAME: 7 p.m. today vs. Rochester

RADIO: THE GAME: 1280-AM, 1340-AM, 1400-AM, 1590-AM. With Mike Vander Wood.

ON DECK: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre heads to Rochester to continue their series.