6/29 - 7/5 ONSL GAME OF THE WEEK

An extra-innings thriller between the Jacksonville Ospreys and Sanford Spinners would see the home team take home a well earned victory after scoring late in the game and forcing the home team to extra innings. A total of 17 runs and 21 combined hits cemented this divisional matchup as one of the most enticing games of the season, as both squads battled it out to the very end. 

The game started slow, with no scoring action on either side until the Ospreys broke through in the bottom of the third inning to take a three run lead. Christopher Hawkins and Keuri Martinez started the inning with a walk and a single, respectively, followed up by a hit-by-pitch to Josh Mcclintock. With the bases loaded, the patience of Trent Murchison would give Jacksonville its first run of the game via walk, setting the table for Will Tyrell to tack on another run through a fielder’s choice. The inning would come to a close as Tyrell was caught in a pickle trying to steal second base, but not before the Ospreys would push across their third and final run of the inning. 

A solo shot for Joseph Humphrey, the first home-field home run for the Ospreys this season, would put Jacksonville up by four. The lead would extend to five by the end of the sixth innings as the Ospreys were able to take advantage of defensive miscues by the Spinners. 

However, Sanford would quickly start chipping away at the lead, starting in the seventh inning. An error by the shortstop, followed by singles from Reese Ashworth and Landon Jones would load the bases in a two-out rally for Drew Berenyi. The outfielder would get his team back in the game with a bases-clearing double, giving the Spinners a fighting chance heading into the later innings. 

The Ospreys added on to their lead in the bottom of the seventh, as two walks and a stolen base set the table for Cory Chostner to deliver an RBI single to extend the Ospreys lead to four runs, leading the ballgame 7-3. 

The momentum would fully swing the way of the Spinners by the time the eighth inning rolled around, as a walk to Cade Martinez and a single by Christian Grino gave Pierce Bouwman the chance to load the bases with a walk of his own. A run would come across on a fielder’s choice courtesy of Reese Ashworth, followed by an RBI single from Jones and an RBI double from Logan Reddemann to get the Spinners within striking distance heading into the last inning. 

The Ospreys would fail to extend their lead throughout their at-bat opportunities in the eighth inning, allowing Sanford to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning. The run came after a pinch-hit double by David Ruth, who scored on an RBI single from Grino, who would provide the game-tying RBI for the Spinners. 

Extra innings would prove to be exactly what the Spinners needed to pull out a win, as Logan Reddermann plated the ghost runner with an RBI double and Aaron Kimbel would be responsible for driving in the winning run with an RBI single. 

The Ospreys would try to mount a comeback by scoring their ghost runner on a double from Joseph Humphrey but would ultimately fall short as the Spinners’ comeback would prove to be too much in the late innings of the game for a final score of 9-8.