Pilgrims Strike Late to Down 'Cats, 5-2, Thursday Night

Published on June 20, 2013 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
North Adams SteepleCats News Release


NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - North Adams held a two-run lead heading to the sixth, but visiting Plymouth struck for three runs then and two more insurance tallies later, handing the SteepleCats their fourth consecutive setback, 5-2, in a cross-division NECBL matchup on Thursday night at Joe Wolfe Field.

Leading by two runs in the sixth, the SteepleCats (4-7) watched their lead evaporate on a two-run homer off the bat of Steven Patterson before Joe Setum drove in the game-deciding run later in the frame, boosting the Pilgrims (3-6) to victory.

The result spoiled a solid start for right-handed freshman Mark Reece (Nevada), who was cruising along until yielding two mistake pitches - the first a single and the other the game-tying homer - in the sixth inning, as the California native settled for a no decision after 5 1/3 innings of four-hit, two-run, six-strikeout ball.

His counterpart, Matt Meurer, however, outlasted him and took the win after seven strong innings, limiting the home side to five hits and two runs while striking out four and walking one. Sophomore Toby Schwartz (Lafayette) took his first loss out of the year out of the bullpen after entering the game in place of Reece, while Travis Stout nailed his third save of the season in the ninth for the Pilgrims.

Two different visitors notched two-hit performances, as Plymouth finished with 10 hits on the night. Sophomore Daniel Bick (Georgia College) finished 2-for-4 to lead a SteepleCat side that finished with six hits but went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

After two scoreless frames, North Adams' offense got on the board without a hit in the bottom of the third. Following a leadoff walk from freshman Jacob Huckabay (UT-Pan American), junior Joe Landi (Rhode Island) squared to bunt and benefitted from an errant throw to move up to second on the play, while Huckabay took third.

Then, after a run-scoring groundout brought in the first run of the game off the bat of freshman Kevin Martir (Maryland) and another grounder moved Landi to third, a wild pitch allowed him to score to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage after three.

But that would be all North Adams would muster on offense for the night, as the Pilgrims came alive in the sixth thanks to Patterson's two-run jack, the first-ever home run in the history of the Pilgrims' franchise.

That, however, was not all the visitors would tack on in the sixth; after Schwartz entered the game and yielded a single but induced a fly out to get it to two outs, both Blake Lacey and Setum would strike on back-to-back singles to make it a 3-2 game.

With the SteepleCats scuffling on offense, that was enough to decide the game; Plymouth drove in two more insurance runs in the eighth that proved to be unnecessary, as Stout retired the 'Cats in order in the ninth to lock down the win for the visitors.

North Adams stays at home to conclude a three-game homestand with hopes of snapping a season-long four-game losing streak tomorrow (June 21) against Plymouth. First pitch from Joe Wolfe Field is set for 6:30 p.m.

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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 20, 2013


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