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Late Heroics Lead 'Cats to 4-2 Victory over Danbury to Sweep Doubleheader

July 25, 2013 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
North Adams SteepleCats News Release


DANBURY, Conn. - After squandering a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth, North Adams came to bat in the top of the seventh and clawed its way ahead with two runs and that proved to be the difference, as the SteepleCats swept an NECBL Western Division doubleheader against Danbury with a 4-2 victory in the late game on Thursday night at Rogers Park.

Winners of four in a row and riding one of the hottest late-season surges in the league, the SteepleCats (20-17) will return home for three home games to round out the weekend hoping to continue its charge up the Western Division. The Westerners (14-24) will look to stay alive down the stretch in their hunt for a postseason berth.

All even at two runs apiece in the seventh, junior Joe Landi (URI) got the charge started with a one-out do uble, and then with two outs, freshman Kevin Martir (Maryland) doubled him home for the deciding run. One batter later, it was freshman Brad Anderson (Pepperdine) who came through with another run-scoring single, adding icing to the cake after starter Mike Murphy (Rider) wrapped up his complete game victory with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.

Murphy, the rising senior at Rider, wound up nine strikeouts over seven innings and allowed seven hits in that span. His counterpart Rob Corsi surrendered two runs in just 1 2/3 innings before reliever Brandon Bonilla dominated over 4 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Max Slade, meanwhile, was pegged for the loss after giving up two runs in the top of the seventh.

North Adams' first two runs came in the second inning thanks to a four-hit frame against the starter Corsi. Junior Cody Doyle (Cal State L.A.) led off the inning with a double down the right field line. Then, with two outs, sophomore Dominic Severino (CCSU) deposited a bloop single that kissed the right field line, scoring Doyle for the first run of the game.

Later in the inning, after freshman Kyle Richardson (Notre Dame) and junior Joe Landi (Rhode Island) singled to extend the inning, a wild pitch brought in Severino before Bonilla got out of the jam with a strikeout.

As Bonilla proceeded to retire eight SteepleCats in a row through the middle portions of the game, Riley Palmer gave Danbury a jolt in the bottom of the fourth, smashing the first pitch he saw against Murphy over the right field wall to put the Westerners on the board thanks to the solo homer.

North Adams had runners on in both the fifth and the sixth but could not capitalize, allowing Danbury to stay within a run heading to the sixth. That was when Palmer got the best of Murphy again, doubling to the wall with two outs before Alexander Cruz tied it up on an RBI base knock, sending the game to the seventh all even at 2-2.

That prompted the team's late heroics, leading to the SteepleCats' fourth straight win and clinching the franchise's 10th 20-win season in 12 years.

The SteepleCats return home tomorrow, July 26, for their first home game since last Saturday when they welcome Holyoke to town. First pitch from Joe Wolfe Field is set for 6:30 p.m.



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 25, 2013


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