This week's Keene at Claremont game will be broadcast live on Claremont's local ESPN radio station WTSV 1230 AM, The Score. Pre-game coverage starts at 10:45.
DUMMERSTON - Josh Duford wasted no time setting the aggressive tone Sunday, April 22 against the Brattleboro River Rats, singling on the first pitch, stealing second on the next pitch. Bob Myers drove him in with a SAC fly. In the second inning, three singles and a error at 2B gave the Cards 3 more runs.
Meanwhile, Mike Wells was just dealing. He was perfect through 4 innings, before giving up a single to open the 5th. After a strikeout, that runner was erased on a 4-6-3 double play. In the bottom half of the 6th, Wells helped his own cause by homering to right-center field. There was some debate whether the ball cleared the fence on the fly, but the umps made a quick stop to the replay booth and upheld the original call.
Mike Wells dominated Brattleboro on Sunday
Brattleboro took advantage of 2 Claremont errors on one play and scored a run in the bottom of the 6th, but that's as close as they would get. That was all the offense Wells would need as he would end the game with a 2-hit complete game.
Other key contributions came from Nate Duford (2 hits), Paul Felix (2 runs), Steve Condon (1 hit, 2 walks) and Gerry Thompson (first SB since 2006).
Yes folks, it's true! Gerry Thompson steals second against Brattleboro!
Olney said "Well, I've talked to an unnamed scout and he's really surprised at the decision. It all comes down to how much playing time Canseco was promised in Worcester. The fact that he turned down a chance to hit in historic Barnes Park shows that his motivation or interest is somewhere else."
Olney was referring to the new shorter dimensions of left field at Barnes Park. "It's like that short porch was made for Canseco's swing. Plus, the Claremont Police Station is right down the road, for his much needed check ins. I think this will be another mistake in his star-crossed career."
CLAREMONT - On a perfect day for baseball, the fans in Claremont were treated to an Opening Day game with a playoff atmosphere between the Claremont Cardinals and the Chester CRUSH. Both teams had their championship hopes ended in 2011 with losses to Saxtons River. The slate has been wiped clean and the 2012 rush for the Cup begins again.
Bob Myers faced off against Nick Wirkkala (6 IP, 5 hits, 9 Ks) and the game unfolded as a classic pitchers' duel.
Wirkalla pitches to Wells
With one out in the first and a runner on third, the CRUSH was threatening. A hard hit ball to short should have scored the run, but Scott Christian made a great throw to the plate to cut down the runner. Claremont got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning. Josh Duford hit a drive to left that hit off the left fielder's glove and got behind him. The relay throw was offline and that allowed Josh to race around for a play at the plate. He slid wide and got under Eric Anderson's tag for a 1-0 lead. The next two batters reached and it looked like Claremont would break it open. Gerry Thompson made a bid for extra bases with a drive to left center, but Scott Renfro laid out and made an amazing diving grab to end the threat and the inning.
Renfro robs Thompson
The score stayed 1-0 through the 6th inning, until Jamie Spence (2 hits, double, RBI) hooked a double down the line to right. He plated Chuck Harriman to tie the score. In the 7th, Chester struck again on a run scoring triple by Joe Cavacas, for a 2-1 lead. Cavacas got hung up on a Scott Sargent comebacker and ended up getting tagged out at third in a rundown. That started a 1-5-2-4 double play as John Grainger gunned down Sargent trying to sneak into scoring position.
Renfro came on to pitch for Chester and quickly blew through the 7th and 8th inning. Claremont's Myers struck out the last two CRUSH he faced to end the top of the ninth. The bottom half opened with a long at bat by Fred Girard, who worked a leadoff walk. Josh Duford then dumped a single behind second base to move the runner up. Grainger bunted the runners over to second and third. Bob Myers then hit a single to left center. Girard and Duford raced home to score on the walk-off hit.
Josh Duford scores the winning run
The final was a 3-2 win for Claremont, in an extremely well-played game. Even though this was the first game of the year, it will be tough to imagine another game topping this one. Next week, Claremont will travel to face Brattleboro as the River Rats open their season.
Saxtons River Pirates 13, Wapole Wild Blue 10
WALPOLE - On their first excursion into a game situation, the Walpole Wild Blue held their own through most of a long 7-inning game at Walpole Fields Sunday, but lost the cat-and-mouse runs game to the Saxtons River Pirates 13-10.
Both teams hit exceptionally well and, save one blowout inning where the Pirates tacked on 7 runs, the game was competitive and a thrill to watch for the 200-plus fans who made it out to the field.
Brian Pickering started the game on the hill for the Wild Blue and went three innings giving up five earned runs and six hits. Pickering also stroked a single to help out his cause. The remainder of the game was thrown by Dave Read who gave up three unearned runs on six hits and struck out four.
Hitting for the Wild Blue was strong on their first time out. First baseman Blake Gowen went 4-for-4 with two singles and two doubles, crossed the plate twice and driving in one. Left fielder Chris Ballou also is batting 1.000 going 3-for-3 with two singles, a double and a sacrifice fly bringing in 3 RBI. Shortstop Gary Dennis went 3-for-4 hitting three singles and driving in two runs and crossing the plate three times. Catcher Adam Kobeski also went 3-for-4 with two singles and a bomb of a double that went to deep center.
Second baseman Frank Brown and centerfielder Mike Snide each added singles to the offense -- Brown with one and Snide with two. Snide also had three RBI.
In the field, Kobeski made some circus catches on behind-the-plate pop-ups while third baseman Erik Baker stretched out for two diving catches for put-outs.
"These guys, for their first time in a game situation together, put on a show for the tremendous crowd we had at the new Walpole Fields," Dennis said after the game. "A lot of our guys were hitting the ball right on the button…I can’t tell you how much fun we had in the dugout cheering each other on."
Standouts for Saxtons River included Andrew Robbins who went 3-for-4 with a double, 3 runs and 3 RBIs, Matt Therrian (2 hits, 2 runs), Derrick Smidutz (double, run, 3 RBIs), and Toby Miller (double).
The Wild Blue faces the Putney Fossils on Sunday, April 22 at the Walpole Fields at 11 a.m. Keene Dawgs 6, Ludlow A's 4
DUMMERSTON - Ludlow broke the ice to score the first league run of 2012 in the first inning. The lead switched hands briefly in the fourth inning when Keene put two runs on the board after hits by John Luopa (1-for-1, 2R, BB) and Brandon Oldham (2-for-2, R, BB), who eventually came in to score. Ludlow followed with two runs of their own in the top of the fifth after consecutive hits by Justin Lewis and Howie Paul. Phil Chimbolo put the ball in play to get the initial RBI, while Ludlow scored their second run of the inning on a subsequent error on the same play.
Howie Paul lays down a bunt single
In the bottom of the fifth Keene took the lead for good with three runs on four consecutive singles by Bruce Summers, Sean Darwin, Rick Hermanson, and Nate Wood making the score 5-3. Keene added another run in the sixth inning to make it 6-3. Ludlow got some baserunners on in the seventh to threaten, but only managed to get one across as Johnny Durgin (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBIs) knocked in Zach Smith (2-for-3, R).
Howie Paul started on the mound for the Ludlow A's, but had control issues and a sore arm and left with 2-outs in the 2nd inning. John "Jack" Durgin took the loss for the A's giving up 6-runs, (4 earned) in 6-2/3 hard-fought innings. Keene pitchers Tim Santaw and John Luopa combined for 15 strikeouts, including five consecutive at one point by Santaw.
Tim Santaw
Putney Fossils 4, Newport Polar Bears 2
DUMMERSTON - Putney hurler Richard Bissell went the distance to get a hard-fought 4-2 victory over the Newport Polar Bears. The crafty veteran scattered five hits and two runs over nine innings, striking out four and at one point inducing three consecutive pop-outs to catcher Joe LeBlanc. The Polar Bears played flawless defense in their first ever CRVBL game.
Newport's Drew Davis
Putney scored in the first when Greg Narleski drove in Danny Lichtenfeld with an RBI double. Neither team scored again until Putney pushed across three in the seventh, two on an RBI single by LeBlanc (2-for-3, 2 RBIs). Newport battled back in the top of the 8th. Bob Bates hammered a double to left, then scored on a Scott McNamara RBI single. Eric Lemay rapped Newport's third consecutive hit driving in McNamara before Bissell stopped the bleeding.
The Claremont Cardinals want to congratulate our pitcher, Bob Myers, for winning a national contest sponsored by Degree For Men to be able to compete in The Adrenalist's Team Everest Tough Mudder obstacle course in Tampa, FL on December 3rd.
Bob is a Tough Mudder veteran who was selected to a team of 8, chosen through a multi-round selection process. His cycling picture from a recent triathlon, along with the other winners, can be seen here: http://www.theadrenalist.com/promotions/team-everest/
Our hats are off to our teammate for his great achievement, and we all wish him the best of luck.
And if he hurts his pitching arm doing this crap, I will kill him.
