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.
