Spirit's Offense Too Much for Rox

Published on July 27, 2003 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
North Shore Spirit News Release


The North Shore Spirit overpowered the Brockton Rox 11-8 Sunday afternoon at New Fraser Field in Lynn. The Spirit offense blasted 4 homeruns and collected 13 hits to take the deciding game of the three game series, in front of a crowd of 1,481 fans.

The game featured just about every situation a baseball game could offer. There was a successful suicide squeeze, a bean-ball, a benching clearing argument and lots of Spirit's milestones.

The Rox jumped to the early 2-0 lead in the first on a Mike Torres 2-run homerun and upped the lead to 4-1 before the Spirit offense came alive.

In the second, Fran Riordan singled and advanced to second when Bryan Caruso was hit-by-pitch , after a Jason Startari fielder's choice Yuri Sanchez singled to score Caruso to make the score 2-1.

The fourth inning provided all the fireworks. The Spirit plated 5 runs to take a 6-4 lead. Two consecutive hits by Riordan and Rob Fisher and a Startari triple cut the Brockton lead to 4-3. The next batter, Sanchez laid down a suicide squeeze bunt to score Startari to tie the game 4-4, on the play Brockton starter Joey Baker made an errant throw to first allowing Sanchez to advance to third.

Brockton manager Ed Nottle made the call to the pen for Roberto Perez. Perez served up a two-run homer to Marcos Argramonte, his first of the year, to make the score 6-4 Spirit.

The next hitter, John Schmitz was hit on the helmet by a Perez curve ball causing a benching clearing melee. Schmitz and manager John Kennedy were ejected from the game, Schmitz for charging Perez on the mound and Kennedy for arguing his dismay towards plate umpire John Conrad.

In the fifth, the Spirit hit two homeruns to put the game out of reach. Franck Charles (4 HR) hit a solo shot and Caruso hit a two-run blast to make the score 9-4 Spirit. The Caruso homer was his first of the year.

Charles (5 HR) would hit his second homer of the game in the sixth inning. They would add their final run in the eighth

Brockton chipped away and made the game interesting scoring 2-runs in the sixth and single runs in the seventh and ninth innings.

The teams combined to pound out 30 hits and 18 runs before the day was through.

The Spirit will take a 9-7 record into the All-Star break, the Rox are now 8-8.

The weekend series concludes the season series between the two rivals, with each team winning 6 of 12 games.

The Spirit will send four players to the All-Star game to be played in Quebec City on Tuesday. They are pitchers John Kelly and Klae Calvert and fielders Marcos Agramonte and Carlos Sepulveda.

You can listen to the All-Star game on flagship station WESX AM 1230 and WJDA AM 1300, on Tuesday July 29. The pre-game ceremonies get underway at 6:30, the first pitch is slated for 7:30 pm.

The Spirit returns to action on Wednesday July 30. Allentown comes to town for a four game series at New Fraser Field in Lynn.

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Canadian American League Stories from July 27, 2003


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