OCONOMOWOC, Wis. – Cesar Izturis Jr. put it succinctly.
“It was a great game, from the first inning to the last inning,” Izturis said.
In a game featuring home runs, crucial errors and timely hitting, nine innings wasn’t enough to determine a victor. The Lake Country DockHounds outlasted the Milwaukee Milkmen 8-7 in 10 innings.
Tied at four while entering the bottom of the seventh, Ryan Hernandez laced a home run over the center field fence. With the momentum quickly favoring the DockHounds the Milkmen promptly battled back.
With two outs in the Milkmen eighth, Milwaukee left fielder Wendell Marrero laced a ball deep into left-center field. After Justin Connell tracked the line drive, the center fielder banged into the wall jarring the ball loose bringing home three Milkmen runs. His efforts however, proved the DockHounds were ready to leave it all on the field.
“Justin personifies everything the team believes,” DockHounds manager Ken Huckaby said. “They are all giving everything they have to try and help us win. Everyone got to see it on that play.”
Entering the ninth and down by two, the DockHound perseverance shined bright. Izturis led off the inning with a walk before Josh Altmann was plunked by a fastball. Hernandez then chopped a ball into left field that scored Izturis from second. Morgan’s sacrifice bunt worked to perfection before Marcus Chiu tied the game with a single of his own.
The momentum shift didn’t stop there. The Milkmen loaded the bases in the top of the tenth with no outs before Alexis Rivero snuffed out the rally.
“It was huge, it shifts the whole game,” Huckaby said. “It sets up the game, it was just a huge change. Otherwise, we have to play that tenth inning completely different.”
With Chiu automatically starting the inning at second base a wild pitch had the game-winning run 90 feet away. After intentionally walking Blake Tiberi – his fourth walk of the game – Izturis had his moment to shine.
With Chiu running on contact, Izturis hit a ground ball to the second baseman that had Wisconsin Brewing Company Park rocking.
“I’m just super happy to win,” Izturis said. “We got the ‘W’ and that’s more important.”
After starting the rally in the ninth, it was poetic for Izturis to finish the rally in the tenth.
Noah Douglas
DockHounds Journalist
