Dividing The Division
by Mike Ashmore
August 3, 2006 - Hunterdon County Democrat

After opening up the second half by losing two out of three to Bridgeport, the Somerset Patriots played their next 10 games against their three division opponents.

The stretch of games started out in Somerset on July 18th, where they played their first of three games against the first half champion Lancaster Barnstormers. After losing that rain-shortened contest, they went on to win one of the next two games against Lancaster before leaving for a seven game road trip against Atlantic City and Camden.

Somerset split the series against the Surf, but it was their dramatic come from behind victory in the last game of the series that looked like it might just turn their season around.

After the Patriots got a quick 5-0 lead, Atlantic City rallied back for nine runs in the middle innings to make it a 9-5 game. Jeff Nettles hit a mammoth three-run home run to left center field, cutting the lead to one.

Surf reliever Jason DiAngelo gave up a hit to Tony Gsell and walked Henri Stanley, and then loaded the bases with one out after Larry Barnes fought off several two-strike breaking balls to eventually draw a walk.

"I was just trying to get something in play to keep the rally going." Barnes said. "I just wanted to keep it going for Nettles or Radmanovich so they could tie it up or give us the lead."

With DiAngelo forced to leave the game with what Surf officials described as a "possible torn tendon in his middle finger," he was replaced by former Trenton Thunder reliever Mike Brunet. He struck out Jeff Nettles, but bounced a 2-2 fastball in the dirt while facing Ryan Radmanovich, allowing Tony Gsell to scamper home for the tying run.

Radmanovich then singled up the middle, plating an additional two runs, giving the Patriots a dramatic 11-9 win.

"It was a 2-2 pitch, and he was trying to bury a slider," said Radmanovich of the critical wild pitch. "After that, he didn't want to bury another one, so he kind of left it up."

Any hopes that the momentum from that game would carry them through the season were quickly squashed by their next game in Camden.

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the fourth inning, Camden broke it wide open. Or so they thought. Ryan Jones hit what was initially ruled as a grand slam down the left field line, a call that incensed anyone wearing a Patriots uniform.

Starting pitcher Robert Averette lost it after that, needing to be restrained by the majority of his teammates, including Henri Stanley, who came in all the way from left field.

"I've got the worst view of it," Stanley said. "From my view, and I was running over, it looked like it wasn't even a question of whether it was fair or not."

After the umpires got together, they reversed the call, and all appeared to be well. However, the bases were still loaded and there was still nobody out.

"It took me about three or four pitches to get back into the zone after that situation was over with," Averette said.

Clearly rattled, Averette ended up walking Jones to force in a run. With the score now at 4-1, the next batter, catcher John Pachot, hit a bases clearing triple to right center field that rolled around for ages after center fielder Pat Boran and right fielder Ryan Radmanovich collided while trying to make the play.

After a botched rundown, an Averette wild pitch plated the fifth run and a Denny Abreu single netted them their sixth run of the inning.

Having essentially traded a four-run inning for a six-run inning, Somerset had come apart and ended up losing, 9-1.

With their momentum from the Atlantic City game squashed, Somerset ended up going 4-6 against their South Division foes during the ten game stretch.

With numbers like that, it looks like this even year will lead to Somerset being the odd team out yet again.

SomerStuff: Things were different at Commerce Bank Ballpark on Sunday, as it was the first day in three and a half seasons that Tony Gsell wasn't in uniform. The popular Flemington resident was released after Saturday night's game. If there were a nice guys Hall of Fame, Tony would be in on the first ballot. I wish him the best of luck in wherever his career takes him.

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