Jamestown Jammers relief pitcher Miguel Fermin was one strike away from recording a save against Mahoning Valley in New York-Penn League action on Monday afternoon at Diethrick Park.
The Jammers were leading 5-2 with two out in the bottom of the ninth, but Fermin never got that strike and ended up giving up three runs which allowed the visiting Scrappers to tie the game.
That meant Fermin went from a save to a blown save.
Article Photos
Jamestown Jammers relief pitcher Miguel Fermin delivers a pitch during Monday’s New York-Penn League game at Diethrick Park. See additional photos at cu.post-journal.com.
P-J photos by Jim Riggs
But in a matter of minutes he suddenly was the winning pitcher as the Jammers scored in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 victory.
Fermin had come in to start the eighth inning with a 5-2 lead and retired Mahoning Valley in order. Then he retired the first two batters in the ninth and had an 0-2 count on the third batter, Andrew Campbell. However, Fermin threw three straight balls to Campbell before giving up a single.
Richard Stock followed with a double that moved Campbell to third. Then both runners came home when Martinez hit a ground-rule double to center field. Robel Garcia followed with an RBI single to tie the game and Fermin finally got out of the inning with a flyout.
But in the bottom of the ninth, Juancito Martinez led off with a triple into the right-center field gap. With Yefri Perez at the plate, Scrappers' reliever Rafael Homblert threw a wild pitch and Martinez trotted home with the winning run.
Martinez also had two doubles to finish with seven total bases.
Mahoning Valley had opened the scoring with a run in the first inning when Tyler Naquin walked with one out, moved to third on a single by Joseph Wendle and scored on a groundout by Dorssys Paulino.
The Scrappers picked up an unearned run in the third when Erik gonzalez reached base on an infield hit with one out and moved to second on an errant throw from left fielder Jesus Solorzano trying to get gonzalez returning to first base after a flyout by Naquin. Then Gonzalez scored on a single by Wendle.
The Jammers got a run in the bottom of the third when Rony Peralta reached on an error, went to third on a double by Martinez and scored on a goundout by Perez.
Then Jamestown scored three runs, two more unearned, in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead.
Martinez doubled with one out, Perez walked and Cody Keefer followed with a single to right field to drive in Martinez. However, the right fielder made a wild throw to home trying to hold up Perez, who scored on the error and Keefer ended up at third base. He wasn't there long as Jesus Solorzano hit a sacrifice fly.
The lead moved to 5-2 in the sixth when Michael Vaughn led off with a towering home run to left-center field.
Then there was no more scoring until the wild ninth inning.
Ramon Del Orbe started for Jamestown and went five innings and allowed three hits and one earned run. Frank Reed worked hitless and scoreless innings.
The Jammers play at Batavia tonight and then the teams finish the NY-P League season at Diethrick Park on Wednesday at 6 p.m.