sfoggi posted on July 21, 2011 22:09
ORLANDO (July 21, 2011) - A Florida League pitcher has not pitched a complete nine-inning game since June 16, 2010 when Nic Kovacs (Lake Sumter CC) pitched a four hit shutout for the Leesburg Lightning. Thirteen months later, just over 400 days, DeLand Suns pitcher Jairo Acevedo (Bethune Cookman) brought that streak to a close.
Acevedo was absolutely dominant against the Orlando Freedom Thursday night as he went nine complete, allowing just two hits and no runs in the Suns 2-0 victory. Perhaps most impressive, Acevedo sat through a nearly 40 minute lightning delay in the eighth inning before coming out to finish the game.
The contest started harmlessly enough as a pitching duel between the Suns’ righty and Freedom starter Corben Madden (Jacksonville). The two battled it out with Madden blinking first in the third inning.
With two outs in the top of the third inning, Madden left a pitch up in the zone that Home Run Derby champion Kevin Lindheim (Stetson) blasted over the left field wall. It was one of the few blemishes Madden recorded all night.
Madden provided a strong 6 2/3 innings for the Freedom scattering just five hits and allowing two earned runs. The start was Madden’s best all summer. Unfortunately for the Freedom, Acevedo was just a bit better.
The Suns’ starter allowed just five base runners all night, with only one reaching scoring position. A Freedom player never set foot on third.
Jason Anderson (Brevard CC) picked up both of the only hits Acevedo surrendered all night. Anderson singled in the fifth to break up the no hitter and doubled in the eighth to lead off the inning. The eighth proved to be the only challenge for the starter all night.
In the top of the inning, the contest was suspended due to heavy lightning in the area and the clubs sat down for nearly 40 minutes. By the time the top of the eighth resumed and concluded, Acevedo had not set foot on the mound for nearly an hour.
Most pitchers would have been taken out after such a delay, but that was not the kind of night this pitcher was having. Acevedo promptly returned to the mound and worked his way through the Anderson double to keep his pitch count at 85 through eight.
In the ninth it seemed as though Acevedo would run out of pitches on the mandatory 100 pitch count for pitchers in the league. Sitting at 95 pitches with just one out, it seemed he was doomed to not make it to the end. He promptly recorded a one-pitch fly out to allow him to face the final hitter of the night.
A fielder’s choice later and Acevedo had finished the first complete game in over a year in the Florida League. The DeLand pitcher recorded his third victory of the season in dramatic fashion and gave the Suns a virtual stranglehold on the third place position in the standings.
The loss for the Freedom pushed the club to 11-20 on the season and back into a tie at the bottom of the FCSL standings. The club gets back in action Friday (July 22) against the team with whom they share the basement, the Sanford River Rats.
The two teams will meet at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium for the first of three matchups between the clubs in the last two weeks of the season. The three games could mean the difference between who makes the playoffs and who is sent home. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
Jake Snyder (Marshall University)