Brick City Boxing

NEWARK, NJ – September 23, 2007 – Centerfielder Keith Reed hit a walk-off single to give the Newark Bears a 5-4 victory over the Somerset Patriots in Game 3 of the Atlantic League Championship Series on Sunday night at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium. The win gives the Bears a 2-1 series lead and a chance to clinch their second championship in franchise history on Monday night.

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Shortstop Ramon Castro led off the Bears’ ninth inning with a walk. Right fielder Jose Herrera followed with a double just inside the third base bag. Reed, who went 2-for-5 on the night, came to the plate with runners on second and third and drilled the first pitch he saw from Somerset closer R.D. Spiehs off the wall in center to give the Bears the win.

The Bears took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. After Castro scored on a fielding error, third baseman Corey Smith hit a two run double off the left field wall. Smith finished the night 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The Patriots got a run back in the second inning on a bases loaded walk to right fielder Luke Allen. The Bears held their two run lead until the sixth when Somerset rallied for three runs and a 4-3 advantage. Shortstop Elliot Ayala hit an RBI single and centerfielder Mike Lockwood smashed a two run home run over the wall in right.

The Bears tied the game at four in the bottom of the seventh on a run scoring single by catcher John Pachot that plated left fielder Ruben Mateo.

Bears’ reliever Jeremy Hill (2-0) picked up the win after retiring the last two batters in the top of the ninth. Starter Harold Eckert went seven innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and four walks, striking out five. Patriots’ starter Brandon Knight surrendered four runs, three earned, on eight hits in seven innings of work. He struck out eight.

The Bears will try to wrap up the best-of-five Championship Series on Monday night at 7:05 PM. Right-hander Jose Garcia (1-0) will face the Patriots’ Lincoln Mikkelsen (1-0)