Pittsfield errors prove
costly in 10-3 loss to North Adams
By: Michael Radomski
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.)- In the
second game of the Battle of the Berkshires, the North Adams
SteepleCats defeated the Pittsfield Dukes 10-3 at Wahconah Park.
Dukes Starter Matt Giusti (Stonehill College) stumbled out of the
gate in the first inning when the SteepleCats would score first.
Nick Shaw (Barry University) walked to start the game, moved over to
second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on an RBI single off the bat
of Kevin Carby (Tennessee Wesleyan College). Two batters later, Joe
Leonard ( University of Pittsburgh) singled up the middle scoring
Carby and giving North Adams the 2-0 lead.
In the top of the second inning, the SteepleCats took advantage of
five Duke errors in the frame to tally three more runs and take a
5-0 lead. Mike Donato ( UMASS) reached on an error to third, then,
on a pickoff attempt to first, Matt Guisti threw the ball away
moving Donato to second. Catcher Sean Parker (CCSU) dropped down a
sacrifice bunt, Guisti fielded and overthrew to first enabling
Donato to score and moving Parker over to second.
T.J. Greig ( Molloy College) then grounded to short, and Tyler
Stampone (William & Mary) couldn't come up with it cleanly as Greig
reached on the error, the fourth straight by the Dukes. Later in the
inning, Carby hit an RBI single giving North Adams the 5-0 lead.
In the meantime, SteepleCat starter Craig Crumbly (Florida Gulf
Coast University) pitched six scoreless innings leaving the game
with a 7-0 lead. Crumbly allowed just two hits and four walks as he
struck out 3 Dukes in the process.
After allowing three more runs in the 8th inning, the Dukes would
mount a rally against reliever Tim Norton (William & Mary) scoring
three runs on a two run triple from Jayson Langfels (Eastern
Kentucky) and an RBI single from J.T. Musso (BYU), but reliever Greg
Robinson (Wright State) would hold the Dukes scoreless the rest of
the way to preserve the 10-3 victory.
The seven Dukes errors ties a franchise record set on July 24, 2006,
when the Dukes lost 16-5 to the Danbury Westerners.
Pittsfield will now travel to Lowell, Massachusetts tomorrow night
for a 6:30 start against the All-Americans, the franchise that Dukes
Manager Mike Marron once played for. The Dukes will send Kyle
Vazquez (Franklin Pierce) to the hill while the Lowell projected
starter will be Dan Lozeau (Bryant University).
