Steeplecats Drop Season Opener to Vermont

Published on June 11, 2011 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
North Adams SteepleCats News Release


The night was supposed to celebrate and reflect on ten years of tradition and summers of friendships, heartbreaks, and the joys of a hard-working baseball-loving community. When the SteepleCats came to North Adams and played their first game at Joe Wolfe Field in June of 2002, nobody envisioned how far the team would last in the NECBL. In a league full of high turnover rates and attendance bases that rise and fall with the economy, the SteepleCats wanted to thank all their fans, supporters, and volunteers as they began their tenth season. With a post-game fireworks display already planned following the final pitch, they came in masses and waited in line outside the historic park's gates. After three-plus hours of baseball that ended in a rather one-sided Vermont Mountaineers victory, most of them stayed for the bangs and flashes that signaled the start of another summer of collegiate baseball in the Berkshires. The final numbers did not lie and despite the loss, both new Team President Dan Bosley and long-standing General Manager Sean McGrath were ecstatic because the organization had drawn the largest Opening Day crowd at Joe Wolfe Field in its history. Heck, they even ran out of food during the seventh inning, and that had never happened before.

Sophomore center fielder Justin Leeson got the party started for the hometown fans when he tripled down the right field line as the leadoff man in the bottom of the first inning. This coming after right-handed starter Trent Franzago cruised through the top half of the first with a nonchalant 1-2-3 frame. Two more singles and a pair of costly Mountaineers errors opened the door to a four-run first inning.

But that was all they would get and after solo home runs by Vermont's Rob Griffith and Mike Samela in the fourth and fifth innings made it 4-3, it was time for first-year manager Clayton Kuklick to call on his bullpen. Franzago had thrown 81 pitches through five and had struck out six while giving up 3 hits, walking only one. Out came sophomore right-hander Taylor Hart from Georgia College and State University, a one run SteepleCats lead hanging in the balance. He escaped from a second and third two-out jam after hitting two batters when he struck out third baseman Russ Hopkins to end the side. Hart (0-1) was not so fortunate in the top of the seventh however, as the Mountaineers cashed in with four runs after a pair of walks and another hit batsman to take a 7-4 lead.

North Adams had its best chance to make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh when Leeson led off with a single and stole second off catcher Doug Freeman, who had thrown him out back in the second inning. A one-out walk to Jacob Daniel followed by a ground out to first by cleanup hitter Cameron Griffin put two runners in scoring position and brought up Drew Gadaire to the plate as the game's tying run. Gadaire harmlessly grounded out to shortstop off Mountaineers' reliever Jacob Booden to end the threat, and the game continued into the eighth inning.

More bad news came in the top of the 8th with Hopkington, Massachusetts native and left-hander Bryant Guilmette on the hill for North Adams. Guilmette got Freeman to pop one up to second baseman Corbin Blakey, who appeared to have the ball in his glove before it trickled out and rolled to the ground. It was the third inning a row in which the ‚¬ËœCats had made an error and brought Samela to the plate, who at that point was 3-for-3 with the home run. With a 3-2 count, Samela once again went yard over the left-field wall and made it a 9-4 ballgame. Booden (1-0) went back to work for the Mountaineers and was masterful in striking out the side in the bottom of the eighth.

The top of the ninth marked a nice 2011 debut for left-handed freshman hurler C.J. Tsoumakas, who was a late addition to the SteepleCats roster. The Rhode Island College product was sharp despite giving up a one-out single to Griffith. Down to their final three outs, the SteepleCats went down in order off hard-throwing righty Kyle Grana, who struck out pinch-hitter Sam Russell and shortstop Marc Magliaro to end the game.

The SteepleCats will be in action again later tonight as they go for their first win of the season in Danbury (1-0) at 6:30 in a rematch of last year's Western Division Championship Series. The Westerners are coming off a 13-7 win over Mystic 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.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 11, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central