It was another heart-stopper at The Parks at Texas Star on Wednesday night as the Redbirds (40+) fought off a fierce comeback by the Rangers to secure a 5–4 walk-off victory in thrilling fashion.
After building a 4–0 lead by the third inning behind clutch hits from Jerry Gamez, Kevin Fought, and Lester Bedford, the Redbirds saw that cushion slowly disappear. The Rangers chipped away with two runs in the fourth and two more in the seventh, knotting the game at four after a ground out by Jeffrey Smith scored the tying run.
But the Redbirds weren’t ready to let this one slip away.
In the bottom of the seventh, with one out and two on, Chris Cec reached on an infield error to load the bases, setting the table for Bedford. With the game on the line, Bedford stepped in and battled fiercely, fouling off pitch after pitch in a tense showdown. Finally, he connected on a hard ground ball that handcuffed the Rangers second baseman. The ball kicked away just long enough for Jason New to race home with the winning run, setting off a raucous celebration in the Redbirds dugout.
Shawn Onley was sharp in his start, going six strong innings and allowing only two earned runs on eight hits, striking out six without issuing a walk. Brent Smerczynski picked up the win in relief, pitching a scoreless seventh and holding the Rangers at bay.
The player of the game was shortstop Marc Boggio, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and a pair of runs scored. His aggressive play and top-of-the-order spark kept the Redbirds’ offense rolling.
Now 5–3 on the season, the Redbirds head into next week’s match-up against Los Viejos with their confidence soaring and their grit on full display.
