Kentuckians give Legends a boost in chilly home opener

Spring baseball on a cold, 38-degree night paid off for Lexington and the hearty fans in attendance at Whitaker Bank Ballpark as the Legends won their opener 7-4 against the Lakewood BlueClaws Thursday night.

The announced crowd of 3,311 and 27 dogs got a chance to see Kentucky basketball star Alex Poythress and a competitive, if a little sloppy, South Atlantic League game that saw both of the Legends’ native Kentuckians figure in the outcome.

Boyle County’s Jacob Bodner came on in the ninth to get a nervous save. After striking out the leadoff hitter, a single and a walk put the tying run at the plate in Lakewood third baseman Deivi Grullon, who had a solo homer in the fourth.

Bodner got Grullon to ground to third baseman Michael Hill who tagged out the runner on second and just nipped Grullon with his throw to first to end the game.

“I saw where on all of his at bats he was taking the ball the other way the whole time, so I was just thinking that I’ll try to show him fastball in and it worked out for the best,” Bodner said.

Bodner, a late-inning reliever in college and his short professional career, knew he could be tapped for trying to close out the game in the eighth.

“You don’t really think about anything. You just get your arm hot, get your legs going and make the most of your opportunity,” he said.

The Legends jumped to a 5-0 lead after three innings capped by a three-run homer by righfielder Amalani Fukofuka, the parent club Kansas City Royal’s 20^th ranked prospect.

A bizarre set of circumstances set up the shot over the right field fence. Samir Duenez opened the third with what looked to be an easy fly ball to center, but BlueClaws centerfielder Jiandido Tromp misjudged the flight and ended up kicking the ball into short right. Duenez stood on second with a double. The next batter, Chase Vallot, hit a broken bat roller that looked to be an easy play for Lakewood third baseman Jan Hernandez, but the flying broken barrel seemed to spook him off the play and the ball trickled out to left. Fukofuka then took advantage of a howling wind to right.

A walk by Lexington native Anderson Miller and a hit by designated hitter Ben Johnson ended the day for BlueClaws starter Franklyn Kilome. But Lakewood’s Jose Tarvares got a pair of strikeouts around a walk and then a groundout to short to end the inning.

Miller, the Lafayette product in his second season for the Legends out of Western Kentucky, scored the opening and insurance runs for the Legends. Miller walked in the second inning and stole second, upping the pressure on Lakewood Kilome early. Kilome hit the next batter, Johnson. A hit-and-run play spared Lexington from ending the inning and another walk to shortstop Marten Gasparini loaded the bases, bringing up leadoff hitter Cody Jones. The lefthander poked a looper over the outstretched glove of Lakewood thirdbaseman Hernandez, scoring Miller and Johnson to make it 2-0 in second.

“Fun brand of baseball we played right there,” Miller said of the Legends aggressiveness all night. Lexington had three steals and a bunt single. “We were all over the basepaths all night and were moving the ball around..

Miller, who scoffed at the forecasted cold weather on Legends media day on Tuesday, said it really didn’t affect the team Thursday. “If we’re going to be out there, we might as well get a W.”

After Lakewood chipped away at the Legends lead, scoring four runs over the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to cut the lead to 5-4, Miller hit a scorching triple past Lakewood first baseman Brendon Hayden in the bottom of the seventh that ran all the way to the right field wall. Johnson’s sacrifice fly brought him home to extend the Legends lead to 6-4.

Cleanup hitter Chase Vallot doubled home another run in the eighth inning as Lexington pulled away 7-4.

The BlueClaws got on the board in the top of the fourth inning with a towering solo home run to the top of the rightfield party deck by Grullon.

Blewett, a 6-foot-6 righthander out of Baldwinsville, N.Y., in his second season with the Legends, was chased in the fifth inning after opening the frame with a strikeout. But a walk and a passed ball that allowed Lakewood’s Emmanuel Marrero to reach second set up the end of his day.

The next batter, Cornelius Randolph, hit a hard shot off Blewett’s midsection that trickled to the second baseman, leaving two on and one out. Blewett gave way to Emilio Ogando who got a strikeout. But a passed ball to the next hitter put runners on second and third with two out.

Lakewood second baseman Josh Tobias batted off several pitches on a 3-2 count to launch a deep fly to center that was mishandled by Lexington’s Jones at the wall. The error allowed both runners to score making it 5-3.

The BlueClaws got another run in the sixth chasing Ogando. A walk to Damek Tomscha led to the run as he stole second amid two strikeouts. Hernandez’s RBI single cut the Legends lead to 5-4. Another single put the Legends in danger of giving up all of their 5-0 stake, but reliever Franco Terrero got a flyout.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 11:03 PM with the headline "Kentuckians give Legends a boost in chilly home opener."