HR Derby to be pushed back to 3pm

The HR Derby will follow the two games at Patton Park tomorrow. Approximate start time is moved to 3pm. Please help spread the word.

Tonight's Games Postponed again

Tonight's Beverly @ Hamilton game postponed to tomorrow @ Patton Park 1pm start

Tonight's Ipswich Rowley game is also postponed. Makeup TBD.

Rockport at Topsfield PPD

Tonight's Rockport Townies/Topsfield Tories final regular season game was postponed due to field conditions caused by what else... Mother Nature!

Both teams are in process of working out the details. The game is scheduled for Monday with a location yet to be determined. More details to follow.

HR Derby Tomorrow!!!

The HR derby will be tomorrow at Patton Park. Be sure to come down early as M/E and Ipswich will be playing a makeup game at Patton starting at 10:45am. The Derby will start immediately following the game, around 1pm. The derby is open to all current and former ITL players. Please wear your game jerseys. Entry fee is $20.

See you there!

Generals Stay Alive, Beat Mariners 8-6

The Hamilton Generals were in a must win situation last night and came through against the Mariners. Mike Drinkwater picked up the gutsy win going 6+ innings with 7 k's & 3 BB. Connor Sullivan entered in the 7th to record the save. Nate Bertolino did his best to win it for the Mariners (2-2, BB, 2HR, 5 RBI), but came up just short. Gibbon started for the Mariners going 3+ innings but getting the loss. Maidment, Stewart, and Vitale exceled at the plate for the Generals.

The Mariners got on the board first in the first with a Bettencourt sac-fly to right scoring Cahill. The Generals tied it in the bottom of the second thanks to a lead off solo HR by Jered Stewart. The Mariners extended the lead in the top of the third by plating 2. Bertolino hit his first HR of the day, a 2-run job to right.

Potter scored on a wild pitch in the bottom half to pull the Generals within one. In the bottom of the fourth the Generals took their first lead thanks to a 5-run inning. Jones tied the game with an RBI single. Then, with the bases loaded, Reggie Maidment delivered a 2-run single to give the Generals the lead. Funchion added an RBI hit which was followed by a Provost sac-fly. The Generals led 7-3 after 4 complete innings.

The Generals would tack on 1 more run from a Vitale solo HR in the fifth. In the 7th, Drinkwater started the inning with back-to-back walks. Bertolino made him pay, as he hit a 3-run HR to left closing the gap. Connor Sullivan then entered the game and was able to get the next three Mariners out, two grounders with a pick-off thrown in, to record the save.

The win keeps the Generals in the playoff hunt. The Mariners have already clinched the top seed in the playoffs with one game to go. The Mariners next play tomorrow morning at Patton before the HR Derby vs. Ipswich. The Generals make up a game against Beverly tonight at Patton.

Townies, Mariners battle for top seeds in ITL playoffs

"Townies, Mariners battle for top Seeds...."
By Jason Brisbois / Cape Ann Beacon

CAPE ANN - For Cape Ann’s Intertown Twilight League baseball teams, it’s all over except for the seedings.

The ITL’s regular season culminates with the league’s Homerun Derby on Saturday — and with a total of four scheduled games remaining before that between them — both the Manchester/Essex Mariners and Rockport Townies have clinched two of the four playoff berths that are traditionally up for grabs in the league.

The biggest question remaining at this point is who will finish where in the standings, and by virtue of that, what the postseason match-ups will look like as a result.

“Ipswich has a handful of games, five or six games, left,” says Manchester/Essex player/coach Bryan Lafata. “We play Hamilton twice this week, and they’re right on the border. The third team in contention is Rowley. So we’ve got Rowley, Ipswich and Hamilton fighting for spots, and obviously the seeds are up in the air.”

Rockport has one game left to play, traveling to play the last-place Tories in Topsfield on Friday night. Manchester was slated to play home-and-away games against Hamilton on July 28 and 30, with a makeup game against Ipswich tentatively set for Saturday morning before the derby. The playoffs would begin on Tuesday for both teams; game one for both series is slated for Aug. 4.

While both teams are officially in the playoffs, neither is going to be playing out the string lackadaisically. Members of the Mariners and Townies both know how key getting a high seed can be to winning it all.

“We’re hoping to get second and get home field advantage,” says Townies player/coach Jeremy Spittle. “I think we play better at home than we do on the road. A win Friday night gives us a better chance of ensuring we get second.”

Spittle is speaking not only to the advantage of having the hometown crowd cheer on the team, but also the Townies’ familiarity with the unique dimensions of Evans Field. Evans’ right field is literally a hill that raises from the park’s ground level, with a thick, wooded area dominating the field’s border.

“Some of our guys are really good at hitting towards the woods,” says Spittle. “There are definitely advantages there. But I assume having home field is the same for every team.”

It certainly seemed to work out for Manchester/Essex last season, as the Mariners earned the top seed in the tournament and ended up winning it all. The Townies, ITL champs in 2007, were knocked out in the first-round, three-game series against Manchester/Essex last season.

“Anything can happen in the playoffs,” Spittle says. “Last year, we started off and beat them in the first game, and then lost to them in back-to-back games, and they went on to win the championship. It will come down to if we get good pitching and defense and get timely hits.”

Interestingly, both teams gave a bit of a preview of what to expect during Monday night’s scoreless tie between the two. There was a miscommunication and no umpires were available at the game’s scheduled start time, pushing the game back about an hour. Townies’ pitcher Greg Kistner (4 hits, 5 strikeouts and 3 walks in 6 innings) and Mariners’ starter Lucas DaSilva (7 hits, 4 strikeouts and 1 walk in 6 innings) both pitched gems for their respective teams and gave a sample of the type of competition to expect once the playoffs begin in earnest. Quality pitching is a primary reason the Mariners and Townies are in first and second place, respectively, in the standings.

“Pitching has been our backbone,” says Lafata. “Our rookie, DaSilva, has been doing great. Mike Gibbon and Steve Stout had great starts last week. Stouty is starting to pick it up again, and Mike is 6-1. Ryan Marques has been tremendous out of the bullpen. Matt Hildebrandt has had some spot starts for us and done well.”

The Townies’ staff has also rounded into form at this point of the season.

“We’re really getting help from the pitching rotation,” says Spittle. “Brent Currier has been his usual, consistent self. He’s given us two complete games in the last week-and-a-half. Greg Kistner has one win and two ties and three complete games in that span. He’s pitched great. He’s been very consistent and given us a lift when we needed a lift. We had a couple of guys who were struggling, and Kistner has filled right in and given us the boost we needed. Derek Dawson has also filled in with some good starts and a couple of good relief appearances.”

In spite of Monday’s scoreless tie between the two teams, the bats have also come alive for both Manchester/Essex and Rockport.

“Nate Bertolino is hitting the ball well,” says Lafata. “Rory Gentile is starting to pick it up. We’ve added Alex Ray, who was playing on a Senior Babe Ruth team, and he’s hitting over .600 for us right now. He’s going into his junior year at Manchester Essex High School and hitting the ball tremendously for us. We’ve bumped him up to the two-spot in the order. Brett Cahill, the catcher for GHS, is hitting the ball pretty well.”

Spittle credits his team for spreading the wealth on offense and grinding out at-bats to get on base. It was a strategy that helped the Townies come back from a 4-0 deficit and pull out a victory against the Tories recently.

“It hasn’t really been the same person every night,” says Spittle. “Top to bottom, I think everyone has contributed. We had a couple of guys heat up over the last week-and-a-half. Brent Currier and his brother Brock have been swinging the bat well for us.”

Both teams have been able to overcome the constant rainouts earlier this summer and the attrition that affects leagues such as this when summer rolls in and vacations and other responsibilities arise.

“My problem sometimes is trying to a get full, complete lineup here,” says Lafata. “Last week, I was in Myrtle Beach. Our cleanup hitter got married and was gone for a week-and-a-half. We had two guys who coach AAU ball who were gone for a week-and-a-half. It’s been tough, but a lot of guys have jumped in and done a good job of filling in and taking over.”

Chiefs a-rollin': Ipswich ITL baseball team goes on 6-1 run towards home stretch

"Chiefs A-Rollin'..."
By Joshua Boyd - Ipswich Chronicle

Ipswich - It seems like ancient history when the Ipswich Chiefs were in last place, sitting at 1-6 out of the gate.

People around here might remember those days as “The Soaked Age.”

Rain disrupted schedules all around the Intertown Twilight League, postponing games more than once a week during the wettest June in recorded history. However, raincoats all around New England are seeing less and less use as the sun finally asserts itself in mid-summer. With increased play, the Chiefs have been able to get on a 6-1 roll lately.

Perhaps they should seek out a federal tax credit for using solar power.

The Chiefs, as of July 21, were sitting at 8-9 and were just two points out of the fourth and final playoff spot, held at that moment by Hamilton (9-10). The Chiefs are tied with Rowley for having the second fewest games played in the league (17), just ahead of the last-place Topsfield Tories (16 games, 3-13).

That means, of course, that the Chiefs are on the verge of a baseball binge.

“We have a tough stretch ahead with a bunch of games,” said longtime Chief Ryan Montecalvo. “We play Friday, then two games Sunday, then Monday, Wednesday and next Friday. There’s one other make-up game that is still to be determined if it has to be scheduled — it depends what happens in the league.”

As for the Chiefs becoming a whole new team since their tough start, winning six out of their last seven games and seven of their last nine match-ups, Montecalvo can’t deny there’s been some luck on their side lately.

“When things are going bad, everything seems to go the wrong way — we were losing close games,” said Montecalvo. “When things are going the other way, you start getting those lucky breaks, and you start getting some confidence. We were a good team that was just not playing well earlier in the season. We have had a better last half of the season.”

Ipswich may be one of the older teams in the league, as only two players are currently playing in college (Greg Doucette and Kevin Michael). Montecalvo believes that leads to the rest of the team having to play “catch up” earlier in the year. Michael’s work for Fisher College certainly helped him jump right into the fray.

“Kevin Michael has become the ace of our staff. He’s won his last three starts and has been giving up less than three earned runs,” said Montecalvo. “He helped us turn things around.”

On the subject of pitchers, Michael and Shoreman have comprised the regular 1-2 rotation this season. Chris Lane has also been on the mound, but has taken some tough luck losses.

“He’s lost some one-or two-run games, had some unearned runs, but every year, he is a workhorse for us,” said Montecalvo. “I expect he’ll be a key factor for us toward the end of the season.”

Additionally, Brad Eaton (returning to the team after a hiatus) and the team’s senior member Kevin Smolla have seen starts this year.

“Kevin Smolla is one of the most tenured players in the Intertown Twilight League, at over 20 years,” said Montecalvo. “I’ve played with him in at least 12 of my 14 seasons — he took some years off. He usually pitches a handful of games every year and still gets it done. He’s over 40 now, but he’s still on the mound, which is impressive.”

In three of the Chiefs’ past four games, they scored at least eight runs. As good as the pitching has been this season, the hitting attack has been potent and has played a huge role in the comeback.

“We’re getting contributions from 1-9, not just from a couple guys in the middle of the line-up, but also from guys in the bottom of the line-up,” said Montecalvo.

Rick Sotiropoulos, Dave Shoreman and Montecalvo have been at the heart of the hitting attack this season.

“Dave and I have spent most of the year hitting at or around .500, and Ricky’s not too far behind,” said Montecalvo. “Dave’s hit for a lot of power and I’ve been on base a lot. More recently, Matt Lane has been hot, Travis Doty has been on fire during our winning streak, and Anthony Hernandez has hit well, also.”

The Chiefs still have to face Rowley (second place, 25 points) four times and Beverly (fifth place, 10 points) twice, both on Sunday, before the end of the season. There are no giveaways in the league — Ipswich could win or lose any of these games. Everyone has a chance this year, and Montecalvo loves that about ITL baseball.

“The league is as good as it’s been in terms of competitiveness,” he added. “There are always a few teams that struggle, but on the whole, the league has been more competitive these last two to three years. There are more people at the games, which is nice, and the teams are getting more involved in the communities, like it used to be.”

Hamilton ITL team’s playoff future up for grabs

"Hamilton ITL Team's Playoff Future up for Grabs"
By Dom Nicastro / HW Chronicle

The playoff picture with for the Intertown Twilight Baseball League comes with about 1,000 scenarios in the final week or so of play.

A loss can move a team out of the playoffs, before another outcome of another game puts them back in. Too close to call. Too many scenarios. For Hamilton, there’s only one thing to do. “Basically we need to win to get in,” said Hamilton player/manager Tom Jones.

Heading into Tuesday’s game at first-place Manchester Essex, Hamilton was 10-10 with four games left. That put them in fifth place and out of the playoffs. Ipswich was a game ahead in the fourth and final spot at 11-9, and Rockport (14-7-1) and Rowley (12-7-1) were comfortably in second and third. “It's hard to say what we need to do over the last four games because we do technically need a bit of help,” Jones said.

Winning is a start. It’s precisely what the Generals did in a 5-4, walkoff victory over Topsfield at Patton Park. Connor Sullivan got the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh. Mike Drinkwater (five strikeouts over last three innings) went seven strong to earn the win. The Generals started the game with four straight hits, lead by Mark Provost’s two-run double. Jered Stewart brought him home with a single. Bryan Vitale later drove in Provost on a fielder's choice.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Generals got it going right away. Reggie Maidment led off the inning with his second hit-by-pitch of the game. After a pop out, Judd Funchion and Provost worked back-to-back walks, loading the bases with only one out. Sullivan up hit a 2-2 pitch up the middle.

“We've been playing well lately,” Jones said. “The offensive has been coming alive.”

Stewart has a legitimate shot to win the triple crown – league leader at the end in RBI, average and homers. At one point recently he led the league in HR and RBIs and is hitting .438, just off the pace for best average. Drinkwater has been the team’s most consistent pitcher, with five of Hamilton’s 10 victories Jon Jackson is “our most dominant pitcher,” Jones said, but has been sidelined the last two weeks with an injury. “He hopes to make it back this week and help pitch us into the playoffs,” Jones said.

Beverly - 12, Topsfield - 10

The Beverly Giants beat the Topsfield Tories by a score of 12-10 on Wednesday night at Proctor Field. Beverly batted around in the first inning scoring 7 times on 6 hits. John Boyle (2 for 4,HR, 4RBI) and Bill Boccuzzi (1 for 2, 3BB, 2RBI) each had 2 run doubles in the inning while Joe Gill (2 for 3) also added a RBI double. Topsfield got two of those runs back on RBIs by McCarthy (2 for 4, 2B) and Evan Bunker, making it 7-2 after 1.

Boyle and Derek Scialdone (2 for 4, HR, 3RBI) hit back to back solo homers in the 3rd to extend Beverly’s lead to 9-2, but the Tories wouldn’t go away. They sent 8 men to the plate, scoring 4 times on 5 hits (4 for extra bases).

Rocky Pisa (2 for 3 at the plate, 2.1IP, Win) relieved his brother Gary after 1.2 innings and gave up three unearned runs in the 4th to tie the game at 9-9. Scialdone singled with the bases loaded in the top of the 5th giving Beverly an 11-9 lead. Boyle’s sac fly added an insurance run for Beverly making it 12-9.

Topsfield brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the 6th and Lampkin hit a scorching line drive to 3rd to end the game. Tom Carr picked up the save for Beverly going the final two innings.

Chief's Top Rowley 8-6

The hot steamy weather was about as hot as the Chief's have been over the last couple weeks. The Chiefs went into tonight like every other night, to win.

Chris Lane took the bump for the Chief's tonight and went a complete game, surrendering 2 earned runs over the game, while striking out three.

Offensivly for the Chief's Brian Dawley and Travis Doty all had big hits for the Tribe. The Chief's were able to use Rowley's miscues to their advantage and plated runs.

The Chief's stand off against Rowley tomorrow night again. And then on Saturday they battle Manchester-Essex at Patton Park in Wenham before the ITL Homerun Derby.

Mariners Beat Generals 1-0

Judd Funchion allowed 3 hits and no BB over his 6 innings of work, but got the loss. Bertolino got a solo HR in the first inning which was the difference. Stout picked up the win for the Mariners and he was equally good. The Generals threatened a few times but could not advance anyone past 2nd base the entire game. Marques worked an inning + of relief to nail down the save.

Topsfield 11 Rowley 8

Andrew Pomazon got his first win as a member of the Tories going the distance (7HITS, 7ER, 2BB, 1HBP, 1K). Rowley hit the ball hard all night scoring 4 in the first as Topsfield responded with 5 of their own. The Tories got some great defense from Eric Bunker (CF, 7PutOuts) as The Rams were connecting well but couldn't find a gap. The Tories later went for 6 runs in the sixth starting on a Ryan MacCarthy double (2/4 2doubles, 2runs) and ending on a Max Travers single (1/3, BB, 2rbi). The Rams threatened in the top of the seventh on a Mariani HR. The game was later called due to darkness and a little too much competitive fire between the teams. Topsfield will play Beverly tomorrow at Proctor and Rowley will play host to Ipswich.

Mariners / Townies Tie 0-0

The Rockport Townies and Manchester/Essex Mariners played 6 complete innings to a 0-0 tie. The game had a 40 minute delay, resulting in only getting 6 innings complete. The pitchers duel was put on by young ITL players Greg Kistner for the Townies (6IP, 4 hits, 5k's, and 3bb), and Mariners rookie making his first pitching appearance of the season, Lucas Dasilva (6IP, 7hits, 4k's, 1bb, and 1hbp).

Both teams had numerous opportunities with men in scoring position, and even bases loaded multiple times, but each time Kistner and Dasilva were able to get out jams with key strikeouts and timely double plays.

Brent Currier was the only player on either squad that recorded mulitple hits, with 2 singles. Also for the Townies, Chris Bouchie, Conor Ressel, Brock Currier, Matt Ayer, and Mike Bertolino hit safely. Brett Cahill, Nate Bertolino, Ty Haskell and Mike MacFarland record the hits for the Mariners.

The tie brings the Townies to 14-7-2 (30pts) with one game remaining in Topsfield Friday night. While the Mariners move to 15-5-1 (31pts) and start up a 2 game series tonight in Essex against the Hamilton Generals.

Ipswich 9 - Rowley 3

The Ipswich Chiefs continued their second half surge towards the playoffs with a 9-3 victory in their 1st meeting this year with the Rowley Rams.

Kevin Michael pitched a complete game for the victory while Joe Katin was hit hard all night and suffered the loss. Ipswich got a tape measure 3 run HR from Travis Doty to open the scoring in the 1st and added 2 more in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Rowley scored 2 runs in the top of the 4th inning with some timely 2 out hitting but Ipswich responded with 4 in the bottom half to take a 9-2 lead. Rowley added a run in the 6th to round out the scoring.

Ricky Sotiropolous (2-4) and Matt Lane (2-3) lead Ipswich while Koby Thibault reached base 3 times (1-2) for the Rams. Dave Leavitt pitched a scoreless seventh inning for Rowley.

Both teams meet again on Wednesday at Eiras Field (5:45).

Beverly - 4, Topsfield - 3

The Giants came back from a 3 to 0 deficit to beat the Tories Monday night. Topsfield struck first in the second inning when two runners scored on a botched 1st and 3rd steal situation. They added another run in the third inning on another 1st and 3rd delay steal where the runner on first sacrificed himself, but the runner on 3rd scored.

Beverly cut the deficit to 3 to 1 in the bottom of the third inning when Kevin Harutunian singled and stole second base followed by a Rob Freni RBI single.

The Giants added another run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Derek Scialdone doubled home a run. Beverly tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Chris Freni stole 3rd base and then scored on Mike Freni's sacrifice fly.

The game remained tied 3 to 3 until the bottom of the 7th inning. With two men out, Scialdone walked, and Boyle singled. Jeff Barricelli then hit a bloop that just got over the infield and landed in front of the centerfielder. Scialdone beat a strong throw to the plate giving the Giants a walkoff win.

Rocky Pisa earned the victory with a complete game, giving up 3 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4.

Zack Lamkin was the tough luck loser. Lamkin also pitched the entire game and struck out 6. Offensively, Lamkin was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.

Mariners Over Rams

The Mariners beat the Rams last night by the score of 11-3.

Townies sweep Tories

On a hot and humid Sunday afternoon in Rockport, the Townies defeated Topsfield Tories by scores of 4-2 and 7-6. More details to follow later tonight...

Ipswich Sweeps Beverly

Game 1 Highlights:

Dave Shoreman with 3 Homeruns, Brian Dawley contributed 1 Homerun also. Kevin Smolla picking up the win throwing 6 strong innings.

Game 2 Highlights:

Greg Doucette picked up his first win of the year on the hill. Ryan Montecalvo and Chris Lane went back to back. Rick Sotiropolous also had a homerun in game 2.

Hamilton @ Topsfield Make Up

The Hamilton @ Topsfield game has been rescheduled for Sunday August 2nd at Proctor Field. First Pitch 5:45

Beverly/Ipswich Doubleheader Moved to Beverly

The doubleheader will be played at Cooney Field due to issues with playing conditions in Ipswich. Umpires have been notified.

New Playoff Schedule

With all the rain and all the makeup games, please note the following changes to this year's playoff schedule.

Round 1: 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 Tuesday 8/4, Wednesday 8/5, Friday 8/7 (if needed) both rounds all games at 5:30

finals Sun 8/9, Mon 8/10, Wed 8/12, Sat 8/15 Sun8/16 Weekend games 2pm weekday games 5:30

Both Games Called....

Today's Rowley @ Ipswich game has been called, you'd need a boat to play shortstop. Makeup TBA.

Today's Hamilton @ Topsfield game has been called. Makeup TBA.

League Leaders Through 7/17/2009

Batting Avg

Ben Hathaway Topsfield .500

Andrew Dyer Topsfield .481

Nate Bertolino Man/Essex .467

David Shoreman Ipswich .457

Ryan Montecalvo Ipswich .450

RBI's

Mike Cain Man/Esse 19

Jared Stewart Ham 19

Jeff Barricelli Bev 18

Derek Scialdone Bev 15

John Boyle Bev 13

Joe Orlando Man/Essex 13

HR

Jared Stewart Ham 7

Nate Bertolino Man/Essex 5

David Shoreman Ipswich 4

John Boyle Bev 4

Jeff Barricelli Bev 3

Mike Cain Man/Essex 3

Pitching

IP K W L ERA

Joe Katin Rowley 33 2/3 24 4 1 .42

Mike Gibbon Man/Ess 36 36 4 1 1.36

Brent Currier Rockport 31 23 4 1 1.58

Mike Drinkwater Ham 29 31 4 3 2.66

Jon Jackson Ham 26 27 2 0 2.69

Rowley @ M/E makeup

Sunday, July 26th at 5:45 in Essex.

Generals Walk-Off Winners over Tories, 5-4

Connor Sullivan got the game winning hit in the bottom of the 7th to break the tie and get the Generals the victory. Mike Drinkwater went 7 strong to earn the win. McCarthy went the distance for the Tories but was the tough luck loser.

The Generals struck first with 3 runs in the first inning. The Generals started the game with 4 straight hits. Provost got a 2-RBI double and was brought home on a Stewart RBI single. The Tories struck back with 2 in the top of the 2nd to cut the lead to one. Gallugi's sac-fly brought in Lobbell which was followed by a Riordan RBI single.

In the third the Generals were able to extend the lead to 2 by adding another run. Vitale brought home Provost on a fielder's choice. The lead did not last long as the Tories tied the game in the top of the 4th. McCarthy and Hittinger both scored on a few General miscues in the field. The Game stayed tied until the bottom of the seventh as Drinkwater only allowed two baserunners and recorded 5 k's over the final 3 innings.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Generals got it going right away. Maidment led off the inning with his second HBP of the game. After a pop out, Funchion and Provost worked back-to-back walks, loading the bases with only one out. With Sullivan up, he was able to hit a 2-2 pitch up the middle. While a diving stop, with the infield drawn in, kept the ball in the infield there was no play anywhere and the Generals were able to score the winning run.

Rockport 13 Beverly 2

Rockport powered it's way to victory last night behind the bats of Chris Bouchie (2hrs, 5 rbis) and Brock Currier (2b and hr) for a 13-2 victory last night in Beverly. Greg Kistner went the distance for Rockport. Derek Scialdone provided the only offense for Beverly with a 2 run homer. Rocky Pisa took the loss.

Rockport improves to 12-7-1, while Beverly drops to 5-14.

More extended story to follow later...

Mariners 7 - Rams 2

The Manchester Essex Mariners eased their way to comfortable 7-2 win in Rowley tonight. Steve Stout led the way on the mound with 6 strong innings. Offensively Orlando and Cahill had 3 hits each while Bertolino and Graham added 2 hits. For Rowley Matt Wile pitched 5 2/3 suffering the loss. Offensively for the Rams Renzulli had 2 hits. The Rams are off until Friday when they face the Ipswich Chiefs for the first time this season, the Mariners are officially off until Monday when they will host Rockport in a makeup, however, there is a rumor that the Rams and Mariners will makeup their rainout this Sunday and finish off the season series, stay tuned.

Mariners, Townies occupy ITL’s top two spots

"Mariners, Townies occupy ITL's Top Two Spots"
By Jane Fosberry Enos / Cape Ann Beacon

CAPE ANN - It’s a month later, and it seems the local baseball teams that participate in the Intertown Twilight League have switched places from where they were around mid-June.

It was at this point that Manchester/Essex was on a roll, starting the season with a 7-1 record. It was also at about this point that the Rockport Townies were struggling to find a rhythm, hovering just under the .500 mark and looking for more consistency.

Now it’s mid-July, and the Mariners are still in first place with an 11-4 record, and the Townies are firmly in second with a mark of 9-5. But it’s what’s happening on the field that has switched between the two teams. Now it’s the Mariners who are scuffling to play consistent ball, and the Townies who are on a roll.

“We hadn’t been playing the greatest ball and we were still winning games,” says Mariners’ player/coach Bryan Lafata. “Now, we’re not playing the greatest and playing about .500 ball, splitting series every time. We’re undermanned without our regular starting pitchers.

“We haven’t been that consistent,” continues Lafata. “With the rain and everything, and our pitchers not getting a chance to throw, it’s tough to find a rhythm. We’re still working to get a set lineup.”

In Rockport, the story is decidedly different. The Townies have won four straight and rocketed into second place. With the warmer weather and a schedule tightly packed with games, the Townies have been able to get into that desired rhythm and get back in the race for a playoff spot. And Rockport has been doing it in dramatic fashion, rallying in the seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie and pull out a 6-3 win over Hamilton on Tuesday.

“We’re happy not to have a prolonged break,” says Townies player/coach Jeremy Spittle. “Those are bad for us, as evidenced by the beginning of the year. This is a good group of guys. As we get going, good things happen. With this stretch of games and with this weather, we can get into synch. We’re playing really loose right now.”

If having multiple games packed into a tight schedule is as good as advertised, then the future looks bright indeed for the Townies. Rockport was scheduled to play Rowley on Wednesday, Topsfield on Thursday, will host Hamilton on Friday and then host Ipswich on Sunday. More games will follow on Monday and Tuesday as well.

The Mariners, meanwhile, played Topsfield on Tuesday and will face them again on Friday, and enter into a big series with Rowley next week.

Hamilton ITL team gains ground after rainouts

"Hamilton ITL team Gains Ground after Rainouts"
By Dom Nicastro / HW Chronicle

Rain has wreaked havoc on many summer baseball league schedules, and the Intertown League is no exception.

Hamilton has four games this week alone as it battles to catch up on its schedule and stay in that fourth and final playoff spot. Heading into Tuesday’s action, the Generals were 7-8 and battling with Topsfield (seven losses), Ipswich (eight losses) and Beverly (10 losses) for the final playoff spot.

Hamilton suffered a setback in its last three games when it dropped two, 11-0 at Rowley and 9-1 against Ipswich. Those defeats sandwiched around a 6-2 victory over Rowley.

Hamilton’s Jon Jackson pitched a gem and outdueled Rowley’s Matt Wile to earn the victory. The Generals scored two in the first, thanks to Judd Funchion and Tom Jones runs on hits from Jared Stewart and James Maloney.

The Generals manufactured one in the third, when Funchion scored again on a Stewart RBI single.

The Generals extended the lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Jones worked a bases loaded walk, and Mark Provost plated two on a hit to left that just dropped after a great effort by the left fielder, Hamilton player/manager Jones said. Mike Drinkwater came in to get the 1-2-3 to end the game in the top of the seventh.

Ipswich’s Dave Shoreman took a no-hitter into the top of the sixth against the Generals Monday night but allowed a hit to Stewart, the only he would surrender. Shoreman gave up an unearned run in the fourth in the 9-1 Ipswich win.

The Chief's offense was paced by Ricky Sotiropolous, who was 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs and an RBI.

Rowley, playing its first game in 21 days because of rain, showed no signs of rust as it brought 11 men to the plate in the first, scoring six in an 11-0 win over Hamilton.

Joe Katin (6 IP, 3 hits, 2 BB and 7 Ks) picked up his third win of the season. Offensively for the Rams, Ben Brink (2-for-3, 2 RBI), Andrew Barry (2-for-3, 3 RBI, homer, Tim Moore (2-or-4, RBI) and Kyle Willett (2-for-4, run) led the Rams.

For Hamilton, Jeff Jensen started on the mound and took the loss, while Luke Painchaud and Justin Tilley also chipped in on the mound.

Offensively for Hamilton, Maloney had two hits and Provost added the third.

Beverly @ Hamilton Makeup Game

Friday, July 31st @ Patton Park 5:45pm start

Rockport @ M/E makeup

Monday, July 27th @ Essex 5:45pm start

Chiefs win 8-7 over Townies

Ryan Montecalvo drove in the winning runs in the bottom of the 7th, to get the Chief's the win Monday night in Ipswich.

Dave Doucette recorded his first win of the season.

More details to follow...

Rowley 4 Topsfield 1

Topsfield and Rowley both got great pitching efforts, from Bunker and Katin respectively, in a close game down at Proctor. Rowley held a 1-0 lead through four innings before getting a few key hits in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead. Topsfield would add 1 in the seventh but it was too little too late as the Rams took the third game of the season series. The two teams will meet in their final make up game on Tuesday July 28th at Proctor.

Generals Over Mariners, 3-1

Judd Funchion went 6 strong innings to get the victory, Connor Sullivan worked a scoreless 7th to earn the save. Funchion allowed only two hits on the day, both to Bertolino who had a solo HR for the Mariners only run.



The Generals took a 1-0 lead in the fourth behind a Funchion RBI single that scored Stewart. In the fifth the score was pushed to 2-0. Provost delivered a sac-fly scoring Maidment. Bertolino cut the lead to one with a monster HR in the sixth. The Generals got that run back in the seventh with another Provost sac-fly.

Sullivan took care of business in the bottom of the seventh recording the save and securing the victory.

Rowley - 9, Beverly - 4

Rowley used an 8 run second inning to beat the Giants. More details to follow.

Rockport 4 Ipswich 2

Rockport defeated Ipswich 4-2 on Sunday night at Evans Field. Brent Currier pitched his fourth CG to earn his fifth win on the season.

More details to follow...

Rowley Sweeps Double Header

Game One Rowley 6, Topsfield 2 ,
Trailing 2-0 late, Rowley put up 6 in an inning to back up a complete game from Nick Liguori. Matt Rogers pitched well for Topsfield in the loss.


Game Two Rowley 9, Topsfield 2,
The Rams posted 8 runs through the first 3 innings and Matt Wile pitched six solid innings for the win.

Mariners over Tories

The M/E Mariners beat the Topsfield Tories 10-1 behind 6 strong innings from Mike Gibbon.

Hamilton over Rockport, 12-5

Jeff Jensen pitched a complete game for the Generals on route to the victory. Jensen was able to scatter a handful of Townie hits to minimize damage and only walked one batter on the day. Jensen was able to deliver on short notice in a must win game for the Generals. Vassalo started for the Townies and was charged with the, Osmand and Currier also got some work in on the mound.

The Generals started off quickly, scoring 2 in each of the first two innings. Vitale (2-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI) got a 2-RBI double in the first. Jones and Maidment added RBI's in the 2nd making the score 4-0 Generals after 2.

In the Fourth inning, Jered Stewart delivered a 3-run HR extending the lead to 7-0. The Townies got those 3 back in the bottom of the fourth. Bouchie got a pinch hit 2-run double, and then scored on a Bertolino double. The Townies got another in the 6th, closing the score to 7-4. Bertolino got the RBI single. The Generals then turned a nifty double play to end the inning and the Townie threat.

In the seventh the Generals tacked on 5 more runs to get some breathing room. Provost got a 2-rbi single that was followed by another Vitale 2-RBI double. The Townies managed one more in the bottom of the seventh but Jensen still looked strong and was able to finish out the game, earning the victory.

Townies Top Tories 10-9

The Topsfield Tories dug themselves in a deep hole after the first inning by giving up 7 runs on a few costly errors combined with some aggressive hitting from the Rockport Townies. James "Red" Riordan made his first start in over a month, returning from a foot injury, to go five innings and take the loss. Hausman got the win in relief for Bertolino. Topsfield made it interesting, coming back to take an 8-7 lead on a Scott Lobdell Home Run. Rockport came back in the fifth with hits from Currier (3/4, 3B, 1RUN) and Greel (1/2, BB, HBP), along with a Topsfield error, to regain the lead 10-8. Other notable contributors to the win included Robertson (3/5, 1RUN) and Anderson with a HR. Topsfield takes on Man-Essex at home tonight before a doubleheader in Rowley tomorrow.

Ipswich 8 - Hamilton/Wenham 6

The Chief's rattled off their 5 win in a row tonight defeating Hamilton 8-6.

Kevin Michael picked up the win for the Chief's tonight. Going 6 1/3 before giving way to Chris Lane who picked up the save for the Chief's.

The offense was lead by Andy Knox who had 3 hits and 2 RBI's. Tom Radzim went 2-4 for 3 RBI's. Matt Lane also chipped in 2 hits and an RBI. Both Travis Doty, and Radzim both scored 2 runs.

With the score 8-6 Chief's in the bottom of the 7th, the Generals made it interesting with Mark Provost leading off the inning with a double, which was then followed by a Jared Stewart 2-Run bomb to left. Lane would then enter with Jim Maloney on 1st who reached on an error. Lane would strik out Justin Tilley, give up a basehit to Sullivan, and would then strike out Reggie Maidment to end the game on a called third strike.

The Generals offense was paced by Jared Stewart who was 1-2 at the plate with a HR and 2 RBI's. Mark Provost was also 2-4 with a run scored in the loss.

Ipswich won the season series 3-4, Ipswich travels to Rockport on Sunday night, and the Generals don't play until Tuesday when they face off against Beverly.

Ipswich - 13, Beverly - 6

Ipswich scored 4 runs in the top of the first inning. Fast forward to the bottom of the fourth. Ipswich led 6 to 4. Derek Scialdone produced a 2 out, 2 run double to tie the game at 6. Brad Eaton then came on in relief of Kevin Smolla and got a strikeout with two men on to end the threat.

In the top of the fifth Ipswich erupted for 7 runs to take a 13 to 6 lead that they would hold until the game was called after six innings.

Eaton earned the victory in relief. Gary Pisa was charged with the loss. For Ipswich, Dave Shoreman homered, Tom Radzim and Travis Doty tripled. For Beverly, John Boyle had a three run homer.

Rams 1 - Townies 1

The Rowley Rams and Rockport Townies locked into an 8 inning pitchers duel at Eiras Field tonight. For Rockport Greg Kistner was outstanding, going the distance giving up just 1 earned on 5 hits, 2BB and fanning 11. For Rowley Shane Johnson made his season debut on the mound, he went 7 giving up just 1R (0ER) on 2 hits with 5BB and 5K's. The only blemish for Kistner came on a Ralph Renzulli solo shot into the parking lot to lead off the 2nd inning. Rockport got to Johnson for their run in the top of the 3rd when Bertolino scored on an RBI fielders choice from Brent Currier. Both Pitchers got stronger as the game wore on, the teams produced just 1 base runner in the 5th, 6th and 7th combined. For Rowley Matt Warden relieved Johnson for the top of the 8th, Robertson led off the 8th with a hard liner that Tim Jean just got to in right center for the first out. After a one out walk Warden settled in and struck out the last 2 batters he faced. In the bottom half of the 8th, Rowley put together 2 singles from Joe White and Ben Brink, with 2 outs and the bases loaded, Kistner retired Rowley clean up hitter Dave Mariani on a hard drive to right played perfectly by Brock Currier, ending a very well pitched and played game. Rockport is back in action in Topsfield Thursday and the Rams have a double header scheduled for Saturday in Rowley against Topsfield.

Rockport 6, Hamilton 3

The Rockport Townies pulled out another win against the Generals late in the game and in dramatic fashion. Bouchie would pick up the win in relief while Drinkwater suffered the complete game loss.

The Generals took a 2-0 lead in the first behind a Jered Stewart deep 2-run HR to right center. Bouchie cut the lead in half with an RBI double in the 3rd. The Townies would take a 3-2 lead in the fourth behind a Robertson 2-RBI double. Stewart would score on a first and third situation in the bottom of that inning to tie the game yet again.

In the top of the seventh Spittle would put the Townies on top for good as he delivered a full count pitch deep into the pond for a 3-run HR. Bouchie would earn the win and retire the Generals in the bottom of the seventh recording 3 scoreless relief innings. The two teams finish the season series Friday night in Rockport, game time is at 7pm.

M/E 11, Tops 6

details to follow

Rams 4 - Giants 3

The Rowley Rams overcame a 5th inning 3 run deficit to pull out the win. Beverly held a 3- 0 lead heading into the bottom of the 5th when the Rams plated 4, giving Joe Katin enough support to earn his 4th win of the season. Katin again pitched well for the Rams working his 5th complete game giving up 1ER on 3H, 4BB's and 4K's. For Beverly, Gill pitched well into the 5th inning and Carr came in to finish things off. In the top half of the 5th Hartunian and Boccuzzi both came in to extend Beverly's lead to 3. In the bottom half of the inning the Rams had 2 in and 2 on with 2 outs, Tim Moore came up with a huge AB fouling off no fewer than 4 2 strike pitches before delivering a 2 run double to right center. Katin retired the side in order in both the 6th and 7th innings. Offensively for Rowley Moore's 2 hits and 2 RBI led the way with Nick Liguori also putting up 2 hits and an SB. For Beverly Boyle had 2 hits, Boccuzzi scored 2 runs and Scialdone picked up a hit and an RBI. Rowley squares off with Rockport tomorrow night in Rowley while Beverly takes on Ipswich in a home game for Beverly played in Ipswich.

Chief's 9, H-W 1

Chief's Pick Up 3rd Win In a Row

The Chief's picked up their third straight win Monday night down the ol' ball yard.

Dave Shoreman took a no-hitter into the top of the 6th against the Generals of Hamilton-Wenham. Shoreman would give up the first hit (double)to Jared Stewart, and that would be the only hit he would surrender. Shoreman gave up an un-earned run in the 4th. The line on Shoreman was CG, 1 hit, 5 K's, and 1 base on balls.

The Chief's offense was paced by Ricky Sotiropolous who was 2-3 at the plate scoring 2 runs, and knocking in 1 RBI. Travis Doty added hit name to the homerun board by smoking a ball into right-center, scoring Shoreman. Anthony Hernandez chipped in 2 RBI's on a base clearing double to right. Tom Radzim, Matt Lane, Andy Knox, and Ryan Montecalvo also had hits for the Chief's.

These two teams square off again Thursday night. The Chief's have a make-up game on Wednesday against Beverly at Ipswich.

Rockport 5 Rowley 2

The Townies defeated the Rams of Rowley on Sunday night by a score of 5-2. Rockport was led by Brent Currier who went the distance on the mound for his third straight complete game and 4th victory on the year. Currier allowed 2 runs on 6 hits with 3ks and 2bbs. Currier (2-3, hr, 3rbis) also hit a 3run shot into the centerfield woods to the pace the Townies offensively along with Mike Bertolino (2-3, rbi, rs).

Nick Ligouri got the loss for the Rams going six innings allowing 5 runs on 8 hits with 10ks and 2bbs. D. Barry (2-3, 2b, rbi, rs) and Thibeault (1-3, rs) paced Rowley's offense.

Rockport improves to 8-5, while Rowley falls to 7-4. Rockport travels to Hamilton on Tuesday night and Rowley faces Beverly at home.

Beverly - 4, Manchester - 3

Luke Deschamps pitched a complete game allowing 3 runs (1 earned) to earn the victory for Beverly. Mike Gibbon allowed 4 runs (3 earned) over 6 innings and was charged with the loss.

Manchester started the scoring in the top of the first with a Nate Bertolino solo homerun. Beverly answered in the bottom half with RBI singles by Jeff Barricelli and Bill Boccuzzi to take a 2 to 1 lead after one.

There would be no more scoring until Beverly plated a run in the bottom of the fourth. Bill Boccuzzi walked, stole second, and scored on a groundout by Rob Freni to make the score 3 to 1 after four.

Manchester tied the game at 3 with 2 runs in the fifth. Ian Buckley stroked a two out, two run double to left center for the tie. However, in the bottom half of the inning Beverly scored a run of their own to go ahead 4 to 3. Mike Freni doubled home Jay Trowt with two outs to score the run.

Deschamps held Manchester scoreless over the final two frames to clinch the victory. Manchester threatened in both innings but could not score. With one out in the 6th, Gibbon lined to center and the tying run was doubled up off second base by Boccuzzi.

Rory Gentile singled to start the 7th but was caught stealing by Chris Freni. Lafata then walked, and Bertolino singled before Deschamps retired the final two batters.

Ipswich over Topsfield 10-1

Kevin Michael pitched 6 innings for the Chiefs allowing only 1 run, which was unearned, on only 2 hits for the Tories. Chris Lane got the save in relief. The score was 2-0 Ipswich going into the fifth inning where Topsfield made some costly errors to break open the score. Zack Lamkin took the loss for Topsfield. The season series ends 2-2 between the Chiefs and Tories who will be very busy with a handful of make-up games in the coming weeks.

Rockport 7 Beverly 6

Townies came back from a 6-1 deficit on Friday night in Rockport to defeat the Beverly Giants by a score of 7-6. It took some work for Rockport to overcome some poor defense early on as they committed four errors leading to four Beverly runs early on. However, the Townies put up three in the 6th and three in the 7th to capture their seventh victory on the season.

Rockport's offense was paced by Chris Bouchie (3-4, 2 2b's and 3rs), Brock Currier 2-3, 2b, 2rs), Dan Greel (2-4, 2b, rs) Jeremy Spittle (2-2, 2b, 2rbis, 2rs) and Mike Bertolino who had the walkoff double in the bottomh of the 7th with two outs to give the Townies a comeback victory. Derek Osmond got the win in one inning of relief, striking two and allowing one hit.

For Beverly, Harutunian, Adams and Baricelli all had one hit a piece.

Manchester - 8, Beverly - 2

Steve Stout pitched 6 scoreless innings for the win. Manchester led 1 to 0 in the bottom of the 5th when Nate Bertolino hit a 2 run homerun to start a 7 run rally that put the game away.

Beverly's runs came courtesy of a Bill Boccuzzi 2 run homer in the top of the 7th. Gary Pisa allowed 4 runs (3 earned) over 4+ innings and was charged with the loss.

Generals bounce back against Rams

Jon Jackson pitched a gem as he was able to out-duel Matt Wile to earn the victory, 6-2. The Generals scored 2 in the first to get the scoring going. Funchion and Jones Scored on RBI's from Stewart & Maloney. The Generals manufactured one in the 3rd, Funchion scored once again on a Stewart RBI single.

The Rams then got two in the fifth to make the score 3-2. White got an RBI single, and Johnson got a RBI on a fielder's choice. The Generals extended the lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Jones worked a bases loaded walk, and Provost plated 2 on a hit to left that just dropped after a great effort by the leftfielder. Drinkwater came in to get the 1-2-3 to end the game in the top of the seventh.

makeup games

Rockport @ Hamilton Tuesday, July 14th @ Patton Park 5:45pm start

Hamilton @ Rockport will be played Friday, July 17th starting at 7pm.

Rowley 11 - Hamilton 0

On another damp and rainy night, the Rowley Rams got their first action in 21 days. Rowley showed no signs of rust as they brought 11 men to the plate in the first scoring 6. The 6 proved to be plenty of support for Joe Katin (6IP, 3h, 2BB and 7K's) who picked up his 3rd win of the season. Offensively for the Rams Ben Brink(2 for 3 2RBI), Andrew Barry(2for 3 3RBI, HR), Tim Moore(2for 4 1RBI) and Kyle Willett(2for 4 1Run) all had 2 hits. Devin Barry was 1for 3 with 2runs and 3 RBI. For Hamilton Jensen started on the mound and took the loss, while Luke Painchaud and Justin Tilley also chipped in on the mound. Offensively for Hamilton Maloney had 2 hits and Provost added the 3rd. The 2 teams will meet again tomorrow @ Patton Park as they wrap up their season series.

The only way this game got off tonight was through the hard work put into the field for the 2 hours prior to the game. Special thanks to Dave Leavitt and the numerous Hamilton players that arrived early to assist in getting the field ready. The recent weather has certainly put a spin on this season, it was refreshing to see the 2 teams come together to get the field ready for play, old town baseball at its best. Thanks to all that contributed!

Downtime affects Townies, Mariners continue to roll

Downtime affects Townies, Mariners continue to
By Jason Brisbois - Cape Ann Beacon

CAPE ANN - This is just what Jeremy Spittle was hoping wouldn’t happen.

After a 10-day layoff, it was apparent the Townies weren’t playing with the same fervor as when they had a streak of three wins in five days and pulled just above .500. Last Thursday, Rockport’s entry into the Intertown Twilight League fell to Beverly, 4-3.

“We had that layoff, and the layoff hurt us,” said Spittle, the Townies’ player/coach. “This is what I was worried about.”

Andrew Vafallo pitched admirably in a complete-game effort for the baseball team, but it wasn’t enough as Rockport mustered a total of only four hits.

“If we score runs, we’re going to win,” said Spittle. “But we need to score runs to win the game.”

It was a far cry from the team’s streak from a couple of weeks ago, one that helped them to overcome a slow start and get back on track. With numerous rainouts and postponements dotting the ITL landscape so far this summer, July’s schedule is loaded with multiple games on consecutive days. After seeing the Townies respond positively to playing four or five games in a short amount of time, this could be seen as an advantage for Rockport.

“The schedule starts to pick up from here on out,” said Spittle. “In July, we’ve got a boatload of games. It’s a good, little stretch. Hopefully we can start to get some momentum back.”

The Townies are far from out of it at this point. In fact, at 5-5, they are in third place in the league, with first-place Manchester Essex looming this weekend.

“There are a lot of teams under us who are struggling the same, if not worse,” Spittle said. “It’s not like we’re in danger here. We’re right where we want to be. I’d prefer not to have five losses at this point, but we’re playing catch-up to Rowley and Manchester. Those are the two teams right now. I’d be happy if we take two out of our next three.”

The Mariners, meanwhile, remained in first place with a dramatic, extra-inning victory over Hamilton last Friday. The 6-4 win put Manchester Essex firmly in first place in the league at 9-1.

Ipswich 6, Topsfield 2

Ipswich beat the Tories last night by the score of 6-2. Tonight's M/E & Rockport game has been postponed due to the weather. The teams are looking for a possible makeup date.

Hamilton Generals look to makeup ground in ITL

Hamilton Generals look to makeup ground in ITL
By Dom Nicastro - HW Chronicle

Hamilton - Rain is making for a busy second half of the Intertown Twilight Baseball League for the local nine.

But lumping a bunch of makeup games together because of weeks of rain may not be the worst thing for Hamilton.

According to player/manager Tom Jones, his team’s strength is its depth. And he’s counting on it to carry the Generals past the .500 mark in the latter half. The Generals went 4-6 in the first half and stand in fourth place of the seven-team league as of Monday.

“We have tremendous depth this year both in the field and on the mound, which has really paid off,” Jones said. “We've been in every game this year despite the fact that we haven't had the same lineup once this season. All the guys have stepped up and filled in spots they might not be as comfortable with to help out the team.”

The record says otherwise, but the Generals have been competitive. Of the team’s six losses, all but one have either been by one run or in extra innings.

“We compete in every game, which will start to pay off over the second half, I think,” Jones said. “With all the rain we will be forced to play many makeups in the second half, which I think we will have an advantage because we have such a deep team. It will help a lot to have so many quality pitchers when we start having regular four-game weeks.”

Hamilton’s Mark Provost leads the ITL in batting average so far. Jered Stewart is leading in home runs.

However, the Generals have not been able to get the big hit as often as they would like, Jones said. Last season’s MVP, Jim Maloney, has been out all season due to an injury. Jones said he might return soon.

“He is really missed in the lineup,” Jones said. “Offensively we have struggled as a whole. Specifically we haven't been able to deliver the big key hit as a team. Hopefully in the second half we will benefit from this as we haven't thus far in this season.”

Mike Drinkwater and Jon Jackson have been the team’s best pitchers statistically and are among the league leaders in strikeouts and ERA.

As always, the deeper pitching staff wins in the end, and Jones said his can compete in that department.

Manchester Essex (9-1), Rowley (6-2) and Rockport (5-5) are all ahead of Hamilton thus far.

“The league is really looking competitive from top to bottom this year,” Jones said. “Everyone can beat everyone on any night. Manchester Essex seems to be the team to beat so far based on their record. They've been in a lot of tough games and have been coming out on top. We look to push through and share in some similar success for the second half. There really aren't any easy games on the schedule this year. Teams will be battling for the four playoff spots right down to the wire.”

The Generals most recent win came over Topsfield, 10-2. Mike Drinkwater allowed only two runs over four innings of work en route to the win.

The Generals did most of its damage in the third inning, sending 11 men to the plate and scoring seven times. Jones and Provost had back-to-back RBI doubles. Jeff Jensen also contributed with an RBI double of his own later in the inning. The Generals led, 7-0, after three innings.

The Generals tacked on three more in the sixth. Bryan Vitale and Luke Painchuad both had RBI singles.

Jensen pitched the last two innings for Hamilton.

Jones, Provost, Vitale, Jensen and Painchuad all had multiple hits for the Generals. The teams were set to play Tuesday at Patton Park.

Vitale homered in an earlier, eight-inning 6-4 loss to Manchester Essex. Jered Stewart had an RBI single.

makeup game

Ipswich @ Beverly will be played on July, 15th. The game will be played in Ipswich with Beverly as the Home team. Usual start time.

Generals 9, Giants 6

Mike Drinkwater picked up the win for the Generals going 4 innings allowing 3 runs. Luke Deschamps pitched 5 for the home team allowing 8 runs in the loss. The Generals jumped out to a 4-0 lead getting 2 in the first and 2 in the second. Mark Provost (3-4, 3 RBI) delivered RBI singles in each of the first two innings. Judd Funchion got an RBI single and Jim Maloney added a sac-fly in his return off the DL.

The Giants struck back in the third with 3 runs, cutting the Generals lead to just 1. Scialdone got a sac-fly to get things started. A Boyle single, a few walks and errors later the Giants were back in the game. The Generals added 4 in the top of the fifth to extend the lead to 4 runs once again. Tilley got an RBI single bringing in O'Leary. Jones then got a 2-out, 2-RBI triple and was later brought home by another Provost RBI single.

The Giants would not go away, however, as they got 3 more in the bottom of fifth off Connor Sullivan. Boyle delivered a monster 2-run HR to dead center landing over the second fence. The Giants got one more and were still threatening when Sullivan was able to pick off the runner at second to end the inning. In the sixth Tilley worked a bases loaded walk to complete the scoring. In the bottom of the inning, some nice defensive plays and a strikeout ended the game with the Generals winning 9-6.

Rockport 6 Manchester-Essex 4

The Townies topped the first place Mariners 6-4 on Sunday night in Rockport. Brent Currier went the distance for his third win on the season. He allowed 4 runs on two hits while striking out two. Jack Brancaleone got the loss, allowing 4 runs in two innings of work on six hits. Mike Gibbons went four innings in relief allowing 2 runs on seven hits.

Rockport was paced offensively by Brock Currier (2-4, hr), Dan Greel (2-3, 2 2bs), Tom Robertson (1-3, 2rs) and Conor Ressel (1-3, 3b, 2 rbis). Manchester-Essex lone hits came from Joe Orlando and Ian Buckley.

Rockport visits Manchester-Essex for the fourth and final game of the regular season against each other on Tuesday night beginning at 5:45pm.

Topsfield @ Rowley Doubleheader

Makeup Dates: Topsfield @ Rowley will be Saturday, July 18th as a doubleheader starting at 1PM

Makeup Games: Rowley / Ipswich

Ipswich and Rowley will be making up their two rain outs on Friday, July 24th in Ipswich, and Friday July 31st in Rowley. Both 5:45pm starts.

Rockport @ Hamilton Postponed

Today's game has been postponed due to the weather.

Topsfield @ Rowley Postponed

Make up TBA

Manchester/Essex and Ipswich Rubber Game Postponed Tonight

Ipswich beat M/E Monday night by the score of 2-1. The Mariners struck back last night with a 7-2 win. Tonight's game has been postponed due to the weather.

Generals Earn Walk-Off Win in Fog

Connor Sullivan made the most of his time on the field Thursday night as he earned himself the win with a walk-off single in the Bottom of the eighth inning against the Topsfield Tories. Judd Funchion started for the Generals and pitched great going 6 1/3 innings before giving way to Sullivan who would eventually earn the win. Andrew Pomazon started for the Tories and went 4+ innings but did not figure in the decsion. McCarthy pitched well in relief but was charged with the loss.

The Tories struck right away with 2 in the first. Dyer led off with a double and was later brought in on a Lobdell FC. Lobdell would come in on a perfectly executed double steal. The Generals struck back with 1 in the bottom of the first to cut the lead in half. Stewart was able to score on an O'Leary single that was mishandeled in the outfield.

The Tories pushed the lead back to two in the top of the second on a Driscoll HR. Luke Painchaud would score on a wild pitch in the bottom half to pull the Generals within one once again. By the third inning the Fog would roll in and change the atmosphere of the game completely, it became very difficult to see for both teams.

The Generals took the lead in the fifth inning. After loading the bases with no outs Vitale hit a ball to short with the infield drawn in. The Tories got the runner at the plate but the throw to first got away into rightfield allowing two runs to score. The lead did not last long as the Tories were able to tie the game in the top of the sixth. Doug Hittenger delivered the game tying RBI single. With no outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, the Generals found themselves in a tight spot. Gallugi next hit a fly ball to left field, with the runners tagging up Luke Painchaud delivered a strike to the plate to cut down the go ahead run and complete the double play.

Connor Sullivan was able to get the Tories in the 7th and 8th innings, keeping the score knotted at 4. In the bottom of the 8th, Tilley led off with a single down the line followed by back to back walks that loaded the bases with no outs. McCarthy was then able to induce an infeild fly that caused some confusion in the fog. The ball was ultimately dropped but some quick thinking kept the game going as the attempted winning run was cut down at the plate. Now with two outs and runners on first and second, Connor Sullivan delivered a line drive into the fog in right field that got down and scored Funchion from second. The hit gave the Generals, and Sullivan, the 5-4 win in 8 innings.