In a hard fought back and forth battle, the Hamilton Generals were able to hold off the Rockport Townies 6-5 thanks to the long ball and timely pitching. Mike Drinkwater pitched 6 1/3 innings picking up his first ITL victory, Marks went the distance but picked up the loss. Jon Jackson earned the save in his season pitching debut.
Things got started with two outs in the bottom of the first for the Generals. Bryan Vitale followed a Stewart walk with a 2-run HR to left giving the home team a quick 2-0 lead. The Townies answered in a big way with 4 of their own in the top of the second. Clark and Bertolino delivered RBI singles to lead the charge. The Generals then knotted the score in the bottom half with another 2-run HR off the bat of Jim Maloney.
The Townies didn't wait long to regain the lead as they scored on a defensive miscue in the top of the third. In the bottom of the fifth the Generals tied the score yet again with a 2-out solo HR from Tom Jones. In the bottom of the sixth, after a nifty double play by the Townies, Jim Maloney was able to deliver his second HR on the day to deep left. This time he gave the Generals a one run lead going into the seventh.
In the seventh, the Townies loaded the bases with only one out. Drinkwater gave way to Jackson, leaving him in a tight spot. Jackson was able to strike out the first batter he faced and get a screaming line drive out to right to end the game, earning the save in the process. All the Generals' runs came from the long ball tonight, a rarity for the team. The two teams don't meet again until later in the season. The Generals play next Wednesday at Rowley and the Townies will be back at Evans Field this Sunday.
