Dustin Richardson made his first professional start on the mound since 2008 for the Skeeters (25-33) in game five of the six-game series against former Major League pitcher Bryan Corey for the Riversharks (27-30).
After a scoreless first inning, the Riversharks started the scoring for the fourth time in five games against the Skeeters. Catcher Alvin Colina had not registered a hit against the Skeeters in the series until he led off the top of the second inning. In the first pitch of the at-bat, Colina ripped a fastball down the left-field line into the picnic area for his second home run of the season to give Camden a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning after two walks to the bottom of the order and a fielder’s choice to Chris Walker at the top of it, Richardson gave up an RBI-single to second baseman Lloyd Turner with two outs to double the Riversharks lead, 2-0.
The Skeeters did not take long to respond, though. After Josh Pressley grounded out in his first plate appearance in the bottom of the second, Ofilio Castro stepped up to bat with the bases empty. On a 2-1 pitch, Castro blasted a fastball down the left-field line into the picnic area for a home run. However, after deliberation amongst the umpires, they ruled it a foul ball. Castro strapped the gloves back on after taking the round trip once, and on the very next pitch, crushed a for sure shot over the picnic plaza for his second home run of the season. The blast put the Skeeters on the board, 2-1.
Richardson retired three of four batters he faced in the third, and in the bottom half of the inning, Sugar Land took the lead. Iggy Suarez grounded out with the first at-bat of the third, but Dominic Ramos at the top of the order singled to get the rally started. Miguel Negron popped up to the third baseman on the first pitch for the second out of the inning, but after a Jason Lane walk to put two on, Pressley again found a groove. The first baseman pulled a fastball into right forcing Riversharks right fielder Steve Doetsch to make a tough play. The ball kicked off his glove as he made a leaping attempt at the ball. Ramos easily scored from second and Lane was waved around from third to give the Skeeters a 3-2 lead on Pressley’s two-bagger.
In the fourth, Richardson retired the side in order before the Skeeters offense took effect in the bottom half of the inning once again. Bubba Bell doubled into deep left-center field, and Octavio Martinez singled into right pushing the runner into scoring position at third. In his second at-bat, Suarez laced a liner into left bringing bell in from third to increase the lead, 4-2. Two batters later, Martinez came home for the fifth run when Negron hit a sacrifice-fly into right, 5-2.
Pedro Liriano (3-2) came in to pitch the fifth through eighth innings and sealed them with a masterful four innings of work allowing no hits and no runs while striking out four. At point from the end of the second to the end of the game, the Skeeters allowed just two base runners, both from walks, retiring 22 of 24 batters and the last 10 in a row to end the game.
The Skeeters posted one run in the eighth after Suarez led off the inning with his second double scoring on an RBI-single from Pressley to make the score 6-2. Closer Gary Majewski finished the game in the ninth retiring the side in order in the non-save situation to give Sugar Land the series lead going into game six, 3-2.
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