Rally Sock Provides Decisive Five-Run Seventh Inning in Drifters’ 6-0 Win over Portland
The rally sock — a sock found by Drifter’s Head Coach Jeff Lyle in the sixth inning that ignited a five run rally in the seventh.
Written by Henry Light
SPRINGFIELD — After multiple rallies went astray in six shutout innings against the Portland Pickles, the Drifters needed something to rally around offensively. Enter the rally sock.
“There was a tournament here earlier today, and I assume one of the players just left his sock, so I picked it up and stuck it up in the net, and everyone made fun of me and called me gross,” Drifters head coach Jeff Lyle said. “We put up a five-spot in the next inning, so call me gross, or whatever you need, for a five spot, I’ll do it.”
Springfield (5-12, 2-6) broke the shutout unceremoniously when Zach Story scored on a wild pitch. By the end of the seventh, the Drifters had broken the game open, courtesy of doubles from Hunter Meyer and Nolan Miller and a single by Johnny Elliott. The bullpen finished the 6-0 shutout that Tristan Ledbetter gritted out for five innings, setting up a rubber match against Portland (8-9, 4-4) tomorrow.
“As guys started showing up today, the energy was different than it was last year, different than it’s been all this year, and it’s infectious,” Lyle said. “Today was one of those days that just shows us what we can do when everything’s clicking.”
Two starters who began their summers strong continued their success in game two. Ledbetter, who entered the game with a 3.00 ERA, settled in after a leadoff HBP to retire six straight batters, while Portland’s Rafael Espinoza, who came in with a 1.88 ERA, stranded runners to post zeroes in the first two innings.
University of Oregon infielder Malosi Mata’afa Alferos came through in the second inning with a double down the right-field line in his first at-bat as a Drifter, but Espinoza settled in.
“He’s a game changer,” Lyle said. “Just his ability to lock down the middle — he didn’t get the ball hit to him tonight, but he had a deke — just his savviness, and his ability to quietly lead.”
After Ledbetter allowed a leadoff single to Brendan Burke in the third inning, Kai Mault advanced him to third with a double. Ledbetter then loaded the bases with a walk before digging deep to find his previous form, drawing a flyout and a groundout.
“I didn’t really have my stuff today, but I kind of wanted to get in the zone and give my defense a chance to help me out,” Ledbetter said. “I relied on them a lot today, so that was huge.”
Espinoza also experienced turbulence in the bottom of the third inning, allowing a two-out walk to Evan Thomas. Cooper Mullens advanced Thomas to second with his second single of the game, but like Ledbetter, Espinoza escaped with a groundout.
Each starter posted a 1-2-3 fourth inning to extend the pitcher’s duel, with Ledbetter ending the top half with his third strikeout, using a slider that tricked the Pickles all game.
Ledbetter’s day ended after a suspenseful but still scoreless fifth inning. He started the inning with his fourth and final strikeout, also on the slider, before escaping a first-and-third jam with consecutive weak flyouts.
“He gave us every ounce of what he had in five innings. He came off and said, ‘I left it there for you’,” Lyle said. “He’s confident, his stuff plays well, he follows a game plan, and his demeanor is just contagious.”
Espinoza pitched into the sixth inning, still in a scoreless game, but fell into a two-out, first-and-third jam after consecutive infield singles by Miller and Elliott, and the Pickles went to the bullpen. Jacob Bellamy drew a first-pitch groundout to end the threat.
Jack Klee worked his second consecutive scoreless inning in the top of the seventh, protecting the shutout with an efficient pitch-to-contact approach.
After the discovery of the rally sock, the Drifters strung together their best threat so far in the bottom of the seventh, with Story stealing second after a leadoff walk and Austin Takahashi advancing him with a bunt single. Thomas then drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases with one out, prompting another pitching change.
Several similar threats had amounted to nothing, but the Drifters in the post-sock era were different.
Reliever Preston Sullivan’s first-pitch ball drew a mound visit, and his next pitch ended the shutout as it got away to score Story. The Drifters required a two-out rally after Mullens grounded out, but Meyer wasted no time providing it, hitting a first-pitch double to score two runs. Miller brought him home in with a double off the center-field wall, before Elliott singled up the middle to score Miller and put the Drifters ahead 5-0.
After Michael Klein struck out two Pickles in a scoreless eighth inning, the Drifters’ offense tacked on an insurance run when Story reached via a hit-by-pitch, stole second, advanced on a groundout and scored on an RBI groundout by pinch hitter Zach Daigre.
Klein finished the shutout with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, setting up a rubber match at 4:05 p.m. tomorrow.
Tickets for the series finale are available online at driftersbaseball.com. Sunday’s Father’s Day game is presented by Valley Sims indoor golf. Fans in attendance will receive a free Valley Sims gift card. Plus, the Valley Sims crew will be joining us to show our appreciation for all the dads in attendance with some fun golf activities.
The game will be live-streamed for free on the Drifters’ YouTube channel.