The Golden Falcons pulled out the win, 8-7, after giving up the tying run in the 6th inning. It was all bullpen after that, with each team throwing shutout ball for more than 13 innings. The league record is 22 innings, between Marietta and Vancouver in September 2015.
The Golden Falcons are still in the hunt for the playoffs, having finished last week 3 games back of Hillsborough for the No. 6 seed. Arkansas followed up with two more 11-inning affairs over the weekend, for a league-leading 19 extra-inning games, and a 12-7 mark. Poovey Farms fell to 5-11 in extra frames.
The recently acquired Adrian Beltre (from Hoboken for a 5th rounder), batting 3rd in the Falcons lineup, had 6 hits -- twice as many as any other batter -- and led all players with 11 at-bats. The 6 hits -- all singles -- tied a league record held by 13 others. Beltre also scored one run in the 5th and grounded out for the Golden Falcons' final out in the 21st inning, after Buster Posey's sacrifice fly scored Lorenzo Cain with the go-ahead run.The six hits by Beltre put him at 1,990 for his career, tied with former Hoboken teammate David Ortiz for 20th in league history. He soon should be come the 19th player in league history to accumulate 2,000 hits, and could reach Mike Piazza (2,025) for 18th on the hit list by season's end. He also recently became the 29th player in league history with 1,000 RBIs.
Beltre, who last played for Arkansas in 2005-06, committed an error in the 17th inning, allowing Steve Souza to reach 2nd base with the potential winning run where he was stranded. Poovey Farms had loaded the bases in the 16th after a pair of walks by Greg Holland but Bryan Shaw came in and got Josh Donaldson to ground out to end the threat. The Dairy Cows also got runners as far as 3rd base in the 9th and 10th innings but could not plate the winning run.
Arkansas finished with 8 runs on 25 hits -- all singles! -- leaving 22 men on base, while Poovey Farms compiled 7 runs on 19 hits, and stranded 13. Almost every starter had at least one hit. Golden Falcons' second baseman Cesar Hernandez went 0-8 but scored a run and collected an RBI.
Brian Dozier and AJ Pollock both went 3-9 for the Dairy Cows, with 2 runs and 1 run scored, respectively. The only extra-base hits in the came came from Poovey Farms, with Pollock slashing a double and triple, and Chase Headley and Donaldson also with doubles.
Neither starter was very good. Marcus Stroman yielded 6 runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings, with 7 strikeouts and a walk for Arkansas. Cole Hamels was about the same for the Dairy Cows, giving up 7 runs on 10 hits in 5 innings, walking 5 and striking out 2.It was the bullpens that shined, throwing zeroes from the 7th through the 20th inning. The next day's starters were pressed into action for both teams and both factored in the decision.
Arkansas used 8 pitchers in all, with starter Dylan Bundy (12-4) getting the win after 1 1/3 innings in relief. Alex Cobb (6-15) suffered the loss for Poovey Farms, giving up 1 run and 2 hits over 2 innings. He was among 7 pitchers for the Dairy Cows. Lefty Chris Rusin, the third pitcher for Poovey Farms, had the longest stretch, going 6 1/3 innings, scattering 5 hits with 3 strikeouts and a walk.Both pitchers bounced back the following day to give the bullpens a break, and both chalked up victories. Bundy went 8 1/3 innings, tossing 117 pitches in a 4-2 win over Allentown, and Cobb went 8 innings, throwing 124 pitchers, in an 8-3 win against Empire City.
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