MacKenzie throws
one-hitter as Dukes win 6-0 over Silkworms
Michael Radomski
( PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – The
Pittsfield Dukes defeated the Manchester Silkworms for the fifth
time this season as Alex MacKenzie (Canisius) threw a one hitter in
a 6-0 victory for Pittsfield.
The one-hitter is the second for the Dukes this season and the
second against the Manchester Silkworms in 2008. The last time these
two teams met, Adam Knight (Georgia State) and Jack Bender
(Georgetown) combined to throw a one-hitter at Northwest Park in a
6-1 Pittsfield victory on July 17th.
MacKenzie started the night by retiring the first fifteen hitters he
faced, carrying a perfect game into the 6th inning. For the first
three innings, Silkworm starter James Kukucka (East CT State
University) was perfect as well, retiring all nine batters that he
faced.
The bottom of the fourth inning was a different story for Kukucka as
he walked Craig Hertler (San Jose State) to leadoff the inning and
Domenic DiRicco (Cornell) followed with a single to put two runners
on with no one out. Chris Edmondson (Le Moyne) scored Hertler on an
RBI single to give Pittsfield the 1-0 lead and an RBI fielder’s
choice from Jason Krizan (Dallas Baptist) gave MacKenzie the 2-0
lead.
MacKenzie continued to deal as he set down the Silkworms in order
for the fifth straight inning, picking up five strikeouts on his way
to a season high of ten.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Dukes would give MacKenzie more
breathing room. Pittsfield would send seven hitters to the plate in
the inning as Kukucka allowed two more runs in the frame. A
sacrifice fly from Hertler and an RBI single from DiRicco increased
the Dukes’ lead to four.
With the 4-0 lead, MacKenzie went into the sixth inning after
retiring the previous fifteen hitters but Ryan Piacentini (Trinity
College) hit a leadoff double to left center field to break up the
perfect game. Later in the inning, Piacentini was caught off of
second base as MacKenzie threw to shortstop Jason Martin (San Jose
State) to catch the Silkworm second baseman.
Kukucka left the game after five innings, allowing four runs (four
earned) on five hits. J.J. Potrikus (SUNY Cortland) relieved Kukucka
but struggled in his only inning of work. Pittsfield sent eight
hitters to the plate in the 6th inning as the Dukes would add
another two runs to their lead.
MacKenzie retired the side in the seventh and eight innings as well
as he faced the minimum 24 hitters over eight innings. In the bottom
of the eighth inning, the Silkworms would turn to Ryan McGrath (Wake
Forest) as the fourth reliever of the game, coming in for Jordan
Wolfe (Wright State) who threw a scoreless seventh.
McGrath was ahead of Billy Messer (Slippery Rock) in the count when
the outfield lights went out, followed by the infield lights as
well. The game entered a fifty minute power outage delay while
players from both teams conversed, danced, and played games on the
field.
After a fifty minute delay, umpires Patrick Sheehan and Ed Ladley
met with both managers and ruled the game over. James Kukucka drops
to 1-1 on the season with the loss as Alex MacKenzie improves to 3-0
with the complete game shutout, allowing just one hit and striking
out ten hitters in the game.
The Silkworms now stand at 14-22 on the season on the season and
will host the Danbury Westerners tomorrow at Northwest Park at seven
o’clock. Brian Pendergast (Manhattan College) is the probable
starter for the Silkworms with a 1-6 record and 4.10 earned run
average.
The Dukes improve to 21-12 on the season and stand a half game away
from clinching their first ever playoff berth. A Manchester loss and
a Torrington Twister loss against Newport, or a Pittsfield win would
earn the spot. The Dukes will send Mike Woytek (Wright State) to the
mound tomorrow night when Pittsfield hosts the North Adams
SteepleCats in the Battle of the Berkshires at Wahconah Park. It
will also be Fan Appreciation Night as Dukes Happy Hour will start
at five o’clock with the band Quick Fox playing at Wahconah Park.
The Dukes will also have a picnic for all of their sponsors at the
park as well. Game time is set for seven o’clock.
Fans can listen to all Pittsfield Dukes games on the NECBL Broadcast
Network by going to the site at http://www.teamline.cc/sportpage?teamcode=6301&eventcode=5
Tickets are still available for Dukes’ games at Wahconah Park.
Tickets can be purchased at the Dukes box office at 105 Wahconah
Street or by calling 413 447 DUKE (3853).
