Lexington, KY – The Lexington Legends beat the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 5-3 in the season finale.
Over 2,000 fans came out for Today was Fan Appreciation Day. There were giveaways announced every inning and thank you cards written by the Legends staff were passed out at the gates. Additionally, Legends slugger Kole Cottam played every defensive position and there were pitching substitutions every inning after the second.
Gerald Ogando got his first start of the season for the Legends, Ogando has served as a reliever with 10 appearances with a 4.97 ERA. Meanwhile, Garrett Martin was on the bump for the Blue Crabs, Martin had 23 starts and a 5.34 ERA entered the game.
After a scoreless first inning, outfielder Pedro Gonzalez singled to far left field then stole second base and third base. A single from outfielder Jacob Barfield drove Pedro Gonzalez in for a score. Lexington took a 1-0 lead in the second.
Innings three and four went scoreless, and finally the Legends scored again. A single by Keenan O’Brien and a single by Roberto Gonzalez moved O’Brien to third. Now, with runners on the corners, Lexington dashed for the bases and executed a double steal, both runners were safe. Giving the Legends a 2-0 lead in the fifth.
Jose Acosta came in to pitch for the Legends in the top of the sixth, Acosta gave up a single and a double to lead off the inning. The Blue Crabs drove them to paydirt with a slam over the Lexington Clinic K Meter. After the three-run slam, Acosta bunkered down and struck out three straight batters to end the half inning. Southern Maryland seized a 3-2 lead.
To lead off the bottom of the sixth, Pedro Gonzalez connected on a solo homer smacked over the Blue Crabs bullpen. Lexington was unable to add any more runs but they did tie the game 3-3 through six innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, Legends infielder Nilo Rijo ripped a double down the left field line. Following the double, Pedro Gonzalez launched a deep ball off the Unified Technologies sign over the center field wall. That was Pedro Gonzalez’s second homer of the game. Lexington claimed a 5-3 lead going into the final inning.
At the end of the carousel of positions, Cottam entered on the bump for the bottom of the ninth. Additionally, Dustin Beggs was subbed in at catcher, Beggs is traditionally a reliever. Cottam allowed a walk to his first batter faced but forced a ground ball double play at his next at bat. Back-to-back walks and a hit-by-pitch by Cottam loaded the bases. Unfortunately, Beggs dropped the game sealing flyout.
The bloop by Beggs didn’t matter because Cottam was able to force a flyout to ice the 5-3 victory. Cottam earned a save in an unexpected fashion to end the season.
On behalf of the entire Legends staff, thank you for visiting Legends Field this season. We look forward to seeing you again next season for more fun at the ballpark. Visit LexingtonLegends.com for the latest updates during the offseason.
Isaiah Pinto
