Soloman's Seventh-Inning Double Lifts 'Cats Past 'Skrats, 6-4, on Fourth of July

July 4, 2013 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
North Adams SteepleCats News Release


NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, North Adams rallied to tie the contest on a hit and a wild pitch, and with the bases loaded, junior Bryan Soloman (Eastern Kentucky) laced a two-out, two-RBI double just fair down the left field line, giving the SteepleCats a come-from-behind, 6-4 victory over Laconia in a Fourth of July, cross-division NECBL tilt on Thursday night at Joe Wolfe Field.

Snapping a two-game losing streak, the SteepleCats (9-10) posted their sixth win in six tries this season when leading after eight innings, while the Muskrats (9-7) saw their 10-hit performance wasted after the bullpen let a late lead slip away.

With one out and nobody on, freshman Jose Cuas (Maryland) drew a walk to get the rally going. Following another walk that put a pair of runners on, sophomore Daniel Bick (Georgia College) put the 'Cats to within a run on a run-scoring single through the left side, bringing in the speedy Cuas from second.

Then, reliever Hayden White issued two wild pitches during an at-bat against junior Joe Landi (URI), one that put runners at second and third, and then the next - which should have been the fourth ball thrown on an intentional walk attempt - that allowed freshman Vinny Zarrillo (Rutgers) to tie up the match at 4-4.

After two batters, White was pulled in favor righty Dylan Parker, who induced a popup for the second out but then yielded a walk to bring up Soloman. With the count even at 2-2, the tall right-hander blooped a teardrop that caught the chalk on the left field line, bringing in both Bick and Landi to account for the deciding runs of the contest.

From there on out, freshman southpaw Trevor Scott (UC San Diego) kept the visitors at bay with another scoreless inning in the eighth before sophomore Joeanthony Rivera (Barry) picked up his second save of the year in the ninth. Scott earned his first decision - a win - on the year after four scoreless, two-hit frames with five strikeouts, while White took the loss out of the bullpen.

Neither starter wound up responsible for the outcome, although Laconia's Nevin Wilson was effective enough, going 6 1/3 innings allowing three hits and four runs - three earned - while striking out five and walking five. North Adams' late heroics saved starter Casey Brown (CCSU), who gave up four runs - three earned - on eight hits over just three innings.

Soloman finished with a 3-for-3 showing at the dish with the two RBI, while Ryan McBroom led Laconia with a 3-for-4 night, one that included a solo home run. On the evening, the visitors out-hit the hosts by a 10-5 margin, but it was the late base knocks that mattered for North Adams.

Laconia used a quartet of hits and benefitted from an errant pickoff attempt to take a three-run lead in the second inning. With runners at second and third and one out, Elijah Sutherland came in to score on a ground ball to the right side before Joe Torres singled home another. Then, following a stolen base and another infield single, Torres crossed on a pickoff attempt that wound up in center field, putting visitors ahead, 3-0.

North Adams would promptly get two runs back in the bottom of the second on just one hit, taking advantage of two walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball to cut the deficit to one. But right on cue, the visitors went back up by two on a leadoff home run off the bat of McBroom, pushing Laconia on top, 4-2, after three innings.

That prompted the emergence of both freshman Kyle Driscoll (Rutgers) and Scott, who together kept Laconia off the board through the middle innings of the contest. Neither side would get much going offensively until the seventh, when North Adams completed its comeback with the four-spot.

The SteepleCats return to the diamond tomorrow, when they stay home to welcome Vermont for the fourth matchup of the season. First pitch from Joe Wolfe Field is set for 6:30 p.m.



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 4, 2013


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