Bay Sox Shut Out Mainers in Pitchers Duel

July 16, 2012 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release


The Sanford Mainers came back to Goodall Park after having a game suspended in the bottom of the second inning at Keene against the Swamp Bats last night. Hosting the New Bedford Bay Sox at home for the third time this season and having a 5-1 record against them all season long, went the other direction, as a pitchers duel swayed in the favor of the Bay Sox 4-0.

EJ Ashworth started the game for the Mainers tonight, and in five starts, four of them have come against the Bay Sox. In this game he went seven innings, gave up seven hits, allowed only one run, and struck out two without walking anybody.

That run would be enough to give Ashworth his first loss of the season as the Mainers got shut out.

Donald Murray got the start for the Bay Sox, his third against the Mainers this season. In his time on the mound, he went seven innings, gave up four hits, no runs, walked one, and struck out six.

In the top of the seventh, Ashworth got Zack Graczyk to line out to Jordan Betts at third base. The next two hitters lined singles to left field, however on the second single by Andy Lalli, Alex Baldock tried to advance from first to third, but was thrown out on a frozen rope throw from Paul Kronenfeld. Now with two outs in the inning, Peyton Hart hit a single to right field that allowed Lalli to score from second for the game's first run.

In the bottom half of the inning, Kronenfeld lead off the inning with a single, stole second, and then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jose Torralba. With only one out and the tying run only ninety feet away, Anthony Hajjar came in to pinch hit for Gavin Stark, but would walk to put runners on the corners. Nate LaPointe then entered into the game to pinch hit for Brett Armour, but grounded into a nicely played 6-4-3 double play to end the Mainers chances of scoring.

In the top of the eighth, the Bay Sox extended their lead, plating three more runs, this time on the account of relief pitcher Evan Chamberlain. On the first hitter he faced, Sean Riley grounded to second, however, reached safely has Will Cooper over threw Hajjar at first. Zach Stone then extended the lead when he hit a single to center field, and after Jordan Hagel over ran the ball, Riley scored from first to go ahead 2-0.

With nobody out and a runner on first, Alex Black blooped a single in to right field, allowing Stone to advance to third. Stone crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Chamberlain, meanwhile Black advanced to second. Graczyk grounded out to second, but moving along was Black to third base. Alex Baldock took the first pitch he saw and doubled down the left field line allowing Black to score the fourth run of the game.

It stayed like that for the rest of the game, as over the next two innings the Mainers could only put two runners on base. A hit-by-pitch issued to Cooper in the eighth and another single for Kronenfeld in the ninth.

The Mainers fall to 9-17 on the season and for the second time this season have lost four straight. Tomorrow they try to break their skid as they face the Laconia Muskrats at Goodall Park. The Mainers this season are 0-5 against the Muskrats, but will send Rohn Pierce to the hill to try and break that streak as well. Game time at 6:30pm.

Notes: Jordan Hagel extends his hitting streak to nine games... Paul Kronenfeld to five... Kronenfeld had three of the five Mainers hits in tonight's game... The Mainers are now 5-2 against the Bay Sox all season... In seven games against New Bedford, the Moose have committed 17 errors...



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 16, 2012


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