SteepleCats Blank North Shore 2-0

June 13, 2011 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
North Adams SteepleCats News Release


North Adams, MA -- After a disappointing loss in front of a record-setting crowd on Opening Day, a Saturday rain-out, and the defending NECBL champions coming to town for a Sunday matinee, things were not looking particularly bright for the SteepleCats yesterday afternoon. The North Shore Navigators were coming off a 12-1 dismantling of Newport on Friday, had the hottest hitter in the league plugged into the middle of the order, and returned six players and the manager from last year's team that edged North Adams by a game for the league's best regular season record. Clayton Kuklick wanted to keep things on the hush hush, although it had "tentatively" [as pitching coach Michael Vicaro put it] been decided earlier in the week that junior right-hander Cameron Copping would get the start. The SteepleCats' manager wanted to "surprise" the Navigators when they got to town under gloomy, overcast skies at Joe Wolfe Field, on a surface that had not been playable just hours before. Perhaps Kuklick had even tricked himself into being surprised, and despite the five days of practice leading up to the season opener, the numbers did not just disappear and Copping had still endured a spring in which he went 1-8 with a 7.03 ERA at the University of Buffalo.

Copping went to work and racked up four strikeouts through the first 3 frames while also allowing four batters to reach base without a hit. A leadoff walk in the third to Blake Berger was quickly forgotten when the Navigators catcher was gunned down at second base on a steal attempt by his counterpart Mike Zavala. Zavala put the rifle on display twice more during the game, and wound up throwing out three out of four would-be base stealers.

Through two games, the SteepleCats lineup has shown a proclivity for pushing all their chips into the middle to cash in on one inning. After a four-run first inning Friday night put an abrupt end to the scoring, the 'Cats went to work in the second yesterday as Cameron Griffin led off with a seeing-eye single through the box off Navigators left-handed starter Crayton Bare. When Griffin got in just ahead of the tag at second after being caught in a run-down, designated hitter Drew Gadaire struck out swinging for the first out. Sam Russell knocked his first hit of the season with a rising triple that went all the way to the wall in right-center field after skimming the top of center fielder Sawyer Saxon's glove. Steven Zavala then picked up his second RBI of the year, scoring Russell with a single, and gave way to a one-out walk to his brother Mike. North Adams led 2-0 with runners at first and second before Nico Hernandez grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in his first at-bat of the season. More on Mr. Hernandez in a moment.

Copping was on the mound in the fourth protecting a two-run lead and gave up his first hit of the afternoon when North Shore left fielder Eric Jaguylo tacked on a one-out single. Dangerous designated hitter Dario Pizzano then came to the plate, still having not been retired by anyone through two full games and a walk off Griffin in the second. With a full count, the Columbia University sophomore bounced into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play that featured the lovely pairing of Hernandez and shortstop Marc Magliaro up the middle. Copping made it happen on his own in the fifth with runners at first and second and one out when he started a well-timed 1-6-3 twin killing off the bat of Saxon. The Navigators picked up back-to-back singles to start the sixth and sent first baseman Jake Schrader to the plate as the game's go-ahead run. With Copping mired in another 3-2 count, Schrader flared a soft line drive up the middle that was stabbed by Hernandez with a leaping grab in mid-air. The Miami native fumbled momentarily before getting the ball out of his glove for a flip to Magliaro who was covering second base, doubling up Clinton Harwick for the first two outs of the inning. When Jaguylo singled to put Navigators at the corners, Copping locked in once again and got Pizzano to produce a harmless fly out to left field, closing the book on his promising 2011 debut.

In the top half of the seventh, Kuklick summoned right-hander Frank Morris from the bullpen, a recent 'Cats arrival from Seton Hall University. The hard-throwing righty struck out Drew Dahlberg looking before Magliaro booted a well-hit groundball off the bat of Navigators' second baseman Matt Boulter. Morris then induced another inning-ending double play ball off Berger that went 4-6-3 (Hernandez-Magliaro-Russell) as the 'Cats turned a double play in an unprecedented four straight frames. Morris struggled in his second inning of relief in the eighth and was pulled with the bases loaded and two outs for projected closer Gray Carden (note: Carden listed his favorite free-time activity as shaving his head). In a battle of power against power, Carden went right after Pizzano with the tying run at second base and escaped the crucible with a groundball to short.

For the final three outs of his four-out save attempt, Carden got two quick ones before Berger singled to keep the Navigators alive. During the regular season at Georgia Southwestern University, Carden was absolutely dominant in the Peach Belt Conference as he picked up 59 strikeouts in just 38.2 innings as the Hurricanes' closer. With the tying run at home plate once again in the form of Saulyer Saxon, Carden appropriately blew him away with three strikes for his first punchout of the season and the SteepleCats first victory.

Notes: All 3 SteepleCats hits came in the 2nd inning and they only had 2 baserunners (both walks) the rest of the way; Navigators pitching retired 14 straight 'Cats hitters to close out the game following a one out walk to Russell in the bottom of the 4th.

The SteepleCats will be in action again later tonight as they hit the road for the first time in Holyoke (1-1) at 6:30 in a showdown of Western Division foes. The Blue Sox are coming off a 2-1 loss to Keene on Friday night. You can listen or watch the game by accessing the TeamLine link on the team's website by visiting www.steeplecats.com or the league's website at www.necbl.com.



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 13, 2011


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