GENERALS TAKE COMMAND: Hamilton takes a 2-0 lead in ITL finals with weekend sweep of Mariners
By Nick Curcuru Sports Editor
The Hamilton Generals are now one win away from back-to-back Intertown Twilight Baseball League championships.
The
Generals took control of the best-of-five series over the weekend with a
pair of wins to open up the ITL finals, 4-1 in Game 1 on Saturday at
Patton Park and 11-6 on Sunday over the Manchester Essex Mariners in
Game 2 at Gosbee Park.
With the win, Hamilton can clinch the ITL crown on Wednesday with a win in Game 3 at Patton Park (5:30 p.m.).
The
Generals found themselves in a tough spot through five innings of
Sunday’s Game 2, trailing 5-3. But the bats came alive in the decisive
sixth inning, a six run rally that saw Hamilton snatch the lead for
good.
After a run came home on a fielding error Harrison O’Brien tied it up
at 5-5 with a RBI single scoring Nick Freni, who singled. Will Frain
followed by driving in what turned out to be the game winning runs with a
single scoring Conor McLintock and Harrison O’Brien for a 7-5 Generals
edge. The defending ITL champs were not done their either as Hunter
Wilichoski skied a two-run shot to left center, his second homer of the
game, for a 9-5 edge.
Freni
tacked two runs onto that lead in the seventh with a two run blast and
Hamilton closed it out allowing a run in the bottom of the seventh for
an 11-6 win.
It was a back-and-forth game early on with Hamilton
taking the lead in the top of the first when Wilichoski’s sacrifice fly
scored O’Brien. The Mariners, however, had an answer in the bottom of
the frame with Caulin Rogers hitting a leadoff homer to tie it up at
1-1.
The
Mariners took a 4-1 lead in the third with Rusty Tucker singling in a
pair of runs and James McKenna singling in another. The teams traded
runs from there on a Wilichoski homer for Hamilton and a fielding error
scoring Mike Quill for Manchester Essex to make it 5-3 and set the stage
for Hamilton’s big inning.
The
Generals jumped out to a 1-0 series lead on Saturday with a big
pitching performance from Adam Green and Carter Coffey, who combined for
a three hitter. O’Brien knocked in a pair of runs in the Game 1 win
with Wilichoski and Larry Saggese also driving in a run
