Rays split first two games

The Princeton Rays and manager Jared Sandberg started the season on a strong note by edging the Burlington Royals 2-1 in a thrilling well-played extra-inning contest before 2,000 cheering fans on June 23. This win was the Rays' second opening day victory this decade. The Rays recorded a win to start the 2005 season.

The following night, the Rays' ninth inning rally fell short as Burlington captured a 4-3 win.

With the scored knotted at 1-1 and with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning of the of Tuesday's opener, Rays' left fielder Bryan Bryles sliced a triple down the right field line. The Royals intentionally walked the next batter, Ty Morrison. Kyle Spraker calmly executed a perfect safety squeeze bunt. The speedy Bryles beat the throw to home plate, and the Rays walked off with an exciting win.

Bryles and Spraker also combined for Princeton's first run in the third inning. Bryles walked and took second base on a groundout. Spraker laced a line drive single to left field to score the streaking Bryles.

Sandberg stated that three keys for the Rays' to have a successful season were strong pitching, solid defense, and skillful execution of fundamentals.

In the opening game, the Rays passed these tests with flying colors.

The pitching was brilliant. Starter Jason McEachern hurled five scoreless innings, yielded four hits (two were infield hits), struck out five, and did not issue a walk. His control was

phenomenal. He faced 18 batters, and never exceeded a two-ball count on any of them.

Reliever Joey Callender, a converted infielder, also pitched well despite a shaky start.

The first three Burlington batters he faced all reached base safely. The Princeton defense was up to the challenge. The first Royal hitter, who had walked, was caught attempting to steal second base by a perfect throw by catcher Alejandro Torres. A nifty double play ended the inning, enabling the Rays to escape unscathed.

After his initial inning, knuckleballer Callender settled down and pitched effectively. He threw five innings and gave up one run on five hits in recording the victory. He struck out two and walked one.

The defense was flawless. They did not commit an error and outfielders Bryles and Morrison registered assists as they cut down Burlington runners attempting to stretch singles to doubles.

In the eighth inning, the Princeton defense expertly executed a pickoff play that prevented the Royals from taking the lead and potentially winning the contest. The Royals' designated hitter Fernando Cruz started the inning with a single. After a groundout, Cruz was at second base. Outfielder Gabe MacDougall slashed a double to center field scoring Cruz. The Rays' picked off the base runner on a beautifully executed maneuver. The next batter, Yowill Espinal, hammered a triple down the left field line that would have resulted in a run if anyone had been on base. The next batter flied out harmlessly to center to end the inning.

As a team, the Rays exhibited considerable enthusiasm and spirit. Several players had major roles in the victory. Bryles collected three hits (a single, double, and triple) and scored both runs. After the game, he commented, “This was probably the best game of my life.”

Spaker, a former Loyola Marymount player, drove in both runs with his two hits. Pitchers McEachern and Callender were impressive on the mound. Catcher Torres and outfielder Ramon Novas each contributed two hits.

The Rays played extremely well in many facets of the game. There is, of course, room for improvement. One issue of potential concern is the fact that they stranded nine base runners.

After the game, manager Sandberg was pleased as he beamed with the team's initial success. He remarked, “I think this win will give us a solid platform to build on for future success.”

Even in defeat, the Royals played well. Starting pitcher John Lamb had a strong game, limiting Princeton to one run in five innings. Eight different Royals registered hits. Shortstop Espinal had two hits-a single and a triple. Poor base running was instrumental to the Royals' downfall.

The following night, though, was another story, as Burlington ultimately prevailed in the nip-and-tuck game. During the contest, Princeton once had a 1-0 lead and later a 2-1 advantage.

In the fourth inning, the Rays' second baseman Seth Henry blasted a home run over the right field fence to stake Princeton to the 1-0 lead. It was the team's first home run of the season. Burlington countered in the top of the fifth as the Royals' shortstop, Yowgill Espinal, hammered a solo homer over the left field fence.

Princeton responded in the bottom of the fifth inning with a run to take a 2-1 lead. Bryles slashed a triple. Ty Morrison drilled a single to center field to score Bryles.

Burlington tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth inning. Catcher Travis Jones smashed a double to center field. Fernando Cruz drove Jones home with a double.

The Royals jumped into the lead in the top of the eighth inning. Jones' double, his third of the evening, scored a run. Juan Morales doubled in the top of the ninth and eventually scored to provide Burlington a 4-2 advantage.

Princeton gamely fought back in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Torres reached first base on a fielder's choice. Geno Glynn stroked a triple scoring Torres and narrowing the Rays' deficit to 4-3. The next batter struck out to end the contest.

Four Princeton hurlers saw action on the mound--Wilking Rodriguez, Tyler Oakes, Jairo Delarosa, and James Hill. Rodriguez, the starter, was in frequent jams, but pitched four innings without permitting a score. He was aided by his own fortitude, two double plays, and a brilliant stab of a liner down the first base line by Ryan Wiegand. Delarosa sustained the setback, but he did not allow an earned run in three innings of work.

Henry paced the Rays' eight-hit attack with the home run and a single. Morrison contributed two hits and a run batted in. Glynn recorded a triple and an RBI. Bryles tripled and scored a run. Wiegand added a double while Torres had a single and tallied a run.

Overall, the Rays committed three errors (the Royals had four), and 11 Princeton batters struck out.

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