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Orange Captures Orange and Blue World Series
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Orange finished off an Orange and Blue World Series championship with a 9-8 victory over the Blue on Sunday afternoon at Davenport Field. After losing Game 5, the Orange rebounded to win 4-3 Friday evening before the victory Sunday. The Orange won six of seven games, although all but one of the seven games was decided by three runs or fewer.
Sunday, the Orange overcame a two-homer, four-RBI performance from the Blue’s John Hicks to take the final game. Scott Silverstein fell a few feet shy of a cycle – he went 3-for-4 with a single, double and triple, and his towering fly ball in the fourth inning was caught on the warning track by right fielder David Coleman. Shane Halley homered, doubled and drove in three for the Orange, while Danny Hultzen and Steven Proscia each added a pair of hits.
Hicks had three hits to lead the Blue’s 13-hit attack. Jared King also had three hits, including a triple. John Barr and Chris Taylor each added two hits.
After falling behind 3-1 early, the Orange forged ahead for good with a four-run fourth inning, capped by Halley’s two-run home run to right-center off Artie Lewicki. The Orange added single runs in the fourth and fifth inning to stretch the lead to 7-3.
Trailing 9-6 in the ninth inning, the Blue staged a comeback on run-scoring singles by King and Taylor, but with two outs Hicks hit a slow grounder to shortstop and Keith Werman’s throw to first just beat Hicks to the bag for the final out.
Friday, the Orange scored a seventh-inning run to break a three-all tie en route to the win. With two outs in the seventh, Proscia single to center. Silverstein doubled to right on the next pitch, and Proscia slid in safely just under the Hicks’ tag for the go-ahead run.
The Orange jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third inning against Blue starter Kyle Crockett as Keith Werman singled with two out and scored on a double by Hultzen. The Orange extended its advantage to 3-0 in the fourth on an RBI double by Kenny Swab and a run-scoring single by Corey Hunt.
The Blue got two back in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run home run by Hicks off Orange starter Danny Hultzen. The Blue tied the score in the sixth on a solo home run by Coleman.
Hunt was the top hitter in the series, going 12-for-27 (.444) with four RBI for the Orange. Proscia was 14-for-33 (.424) with a series-high four doubles as well as seven RBI. Hicks led the Blue, going 11-for-33 (.333) with four home runs and nine RBI. David Coleman also was 11-for-33 in the series. Tyler Skulina earned two wins on the mound for the Orange.