Steeplecats Lose 8th Straight

Published on June 22, 2011 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
North Adams SteepleCats News Release


Keene, NH - Everyone agreed the off-day couldn't have arrived at a better time. In the first full week of the season, the North Adams SteepleCats had dropped to a league-worst 1-8 after splitting a pair of games on opening weekend. Everyone agreed that they had never experienced anything like this before and that the losing and frustration had to end now. Maybe it was just a rough patch, one of those forgettable stretches that sometimes get buried deep within the pages in the histories of memorable seasons. The 1998 Yankees started 1-4 before winning 114 regular season games en route to a World Series victory. And even more recently and in closer proximity, the Boston Red Sox heard the doubters and naysayers after a disastrous April. So it made sense for the day off to be spent together as a team on a bus to Boston for dinner and a trip to Fenway to see those very same Red Sox, who currently lead the AL East. But last night in Keene, the magic didn't rub off. Yet.

New Jersey native and Seton Hall University freshman Brian Gilbert is a Red Sox fan because his older brother grew up rooting for the Yankees and it was just another way to accentuate the friendly sibling rivalry. After a terrific year for the Big East Champions and a nice debut in Vermont last Tuesday, Gilbert took the ball on Monday night hoping he could spearhead the turnaround. Although the Swamp Bats only managed 11 hits all game, most of the total was accrued in the first when they came around to score an astonishing seven times. The deficit already seemed insurmountable for the hard-luck SteepleCats, who have found themselves playing from behind early several times.

In the previous two games, the 'Cats battled back despite these hurdles and did not roll over in weekend losses to Keene on Saturday and Holyoke on Sunday. The encouragement continued in the second inning when sophomore third baseman Cameron Griffin slugged a two-run homer to cut the deficit to five. It was a nice pick me up for Griffin, who's shown much better numbers at home this season after hitting only one home run all year at Columbus State University. The game's final run would be scored in the home fifth when Keene added one more off Gilbert, who still pitched six innings with just two walks allowed. The bullpen did a fine job over the final two frames as Andrew Loynaz worked his second straight sharp outing with two strikeouts in a perfect seventh. Closer Gray Carden gave up a hit and a walk but still pitched a scoreless eighth after several days off.

Notes: Of the six SteepleCats hits on the night, one-third of them were picked up by newly implanted leadoff hitter Chantz Mack, who upped his batting average to .273.

Keene shortstop Alex Chittenden was the only Swamp Bat without a hit while all but two starters scored a run.

The official time of the game was listed as 1 hour, 59 minutes.

The SteepleCats (1-9) will be on the road again Wednesday against the Eastern Division's first-place team the Sanford Mainers (6-3) at 6:30 pm. Make sure you support the SteepleCats and 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.

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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 22, 2011


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