Tuesday, July 7, 2009
makeup game
Generals 9, Giants 6
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.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Rockport 6 Manchester-Essex 4
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
Friday, July 3, 2009
Makeup Games: Rowley / Ipswich
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Manchester/Essex and Ipswich Rubber Game Postponed Tonight
Generals Earn Walk-Off Win in Fog
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.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Mariners’ Lafata reflects on team’s 7-1 start to season
CAPE ANN - While the record is no longer perfect, it’s still nothing to sneeze at. The Manchester Essex Mariners began the 2009 season by jumping out to a 7-0 start before falling to Rowley by a 7-3 score on Tuesday night. Not a bad way to start out defense of the Mariners’ 2008 Intertown Twilight League title. And certainly not a bad way to send a message to the rest of the league that the Mariners are still the team to beat.
The Cape Ann Beacon recently caught up with Manchester Essex’s player/coach Bryan Lafata, who has played in the ITL for the past 18 years and is in his fifth year at the Mariner helm to get his thoughts on the 2009 season so far.
Is this the best start you've seen with the team? Is any other season comparable?As far as I can remember, 7-0 is one of the better starts I've been a part of. It is a deceptive start though, as we really have not played very consistent.
How much do you think momentum from last season's championship has carried over? Is there a high confidence level with this team?
The confidence level definitely carries over from last year. Also, pitching and defense is what really led us last year. Pitching is keeping up their end of the bargain so far this year, but our defense has not been very stellar.
We have almost the entire team back from last year, and we've added a few young players to help with depth and give them experience in the ITL. Pitching is definitely a strength, as we have six-to-seven legitimate pitchers. Our depth is also a positive when we have the entire squad there.
Why do you think you've been so successful so far this season?
The pitching staff has done a great job, led by Mike Gibbon who is 3-0 to start the year with only one earned run in 18 innings. Steve Stout and Jack Brancaleone have been the other two starters that have pitched well. Ryan Marques has been tremendous out of the bullpen, and we added a new righthander, Matt Hildebrand, who is very consistent around the strike zone. Mike Cain, Dylan Maki and MacKenzie Quinn add more depth to the staff as the season goes along.
How about the offense?Offensively, our most consistent hitters have been leadoff hitter Rory Gentile, Nate Bertolino and first baseman Mike Cain. All three have been hitting the ball well and getting on base at a great rate. Rory is our leadoff hitter and really does a great job setting the table for us. Nate has been one of the best all-around players in the league for some time now, and is so consistent for us day in, and day out. Mike has been a pleasant surprise early this year; we know he's a great athlete and hitter, but he has been really driving the ball and taking full advantage of all the baserunners on when he is up. He also plays a tremendous first base, which makes life much easier on the pitching staff.
It's nice to have a fast start to begin the season, but I'd much rather finish strong. I've been in the league many years and seen quite a few teams start hot and then fade at the end of the season or in the postseason. It's always good to stay near the top of the standings early in the season, so as the season moves along you do not need to try and get yourself out of a hole and depend on other teams to lose their games.
Starting strong does provide confidence to the team, but in baseball, anything can happen. We lost to Rowley as they have a very strong and deep team. Topsfield, like Rowley, has added a core of good young ballplayers, and they are going to be in it for the long run. That then leaves Rockport, Hamilton, Ipswich and Beverly who have all been in the top of league for many years. So really, anyone can win on any given day and you can't expect to win by just showing up to the park. Last year was one of the most competitive seasons I've seen, and this year looks to follow the same path.
Townies’ slow start and quick rebound similar to 2008
By Jason Brisbois
CAPE ANN - This story might seem a bit familiar to those who follow Rockport’s Intertown Twilight League baseball team: The Townies began the regular season slowly, going 1-3 out of the gate and sputtering to get wins. After a recent run, Rockport is now back in the thick of things in the ITL, improving its record to 5-4 and moving up to third place in the standings.
Not a bad turnaround at all. However, if this scenario seems familiar, it’s because a similar story unfolded in 2008 for the Townies. Rockport started 1-4 and sputtered in beginning their defense of the 2007 ITL championship. The team then righted the ship and rebounded, improving their record to a manageable 4-5-1 by the last week of June.
That sense of déjà vu was certainly not lost on Jeremy Spittle, the Townies’ player/coach.
“Last year, I think we got off to an even worse start,” said Spittle, now in his 10th year with the team. “I don’t know. It’s a combination of things, from missing guys early in the year to collective rust from the year before, to not being crisp and ready to go. I think we’ve done this the last couple of years, but I think in comparison to last year, we’re bouncing back quicker.”
Indeed, they seem to be. The Townies are back on the plus side of .500 with a few weeks left in the month, whereas it took them until the threshold of July to even reach .500 last year. And they seem to be settling into a groove just a bit quicker than last season, thanks in large part to a jam-packed schedule over the past week. In fact, the large number of games in a short span of time seems to have given this team momentum: The Townies defeated Ipswich, 7-5 on Monday night, and also by a 4-2 score the night before that. They also beat Beverly, 9-3, on Friday. Five days, three wins and the Townies are back in the hunt.
“Playing Beverly on Friday, and Ipswich on Sunday and Monday, from our end we can see the team get in more of a rhythm offensively,” said Spittle. “We’re seeing the ball better. We were rusty earlier in the year.”
It’s the evolution of the offense that has propelled the team back above .500 and where it seems to belong, especially after being a playoff team last season. Players such as Tommy Robertson (who was phenomenal against Beverly, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored), Chris Bouchie (2-for-4, 2 walks on Monday against Ipswich), Brent and Brock Currier and Spittle himself all contributed at the plate and showed the form that was present during last season’s similar renaissance.
“We weren’t getting that timely hit,” said Spittle. “The guys that produced over the weekend weren’t coming through then, and this weekend we saw a lot more of that. We saw a lot more productive-looking swings. Nobody was just swinging at the first pitch.”
The pitching has been fairly consistent this season, which is impressive considering the Townies will be without their ace, Adam Orlando, this season. Orlando is out due to injury, but stalwarts such as Brent Currier and Lou McGrath have done an admirable job toeing the rubber. Even in the early season defeats, the pitching staff has kept the team in tight games, including a 2-1 loss to Rowley and a 3-2 loss to Manchester Essex.
“It wasn’t like we were pitching that bad earlier in the year,” Spittle said. “The walks were killing us. Now I’ve noticed the pitching has come alive the past couple of games, with Lou and Brent.”
Another key name on the mound is Andrew Vasallo, who came on in relief of Greg Kistner in Monday’s win over Ipswich and helped to keep the Chiefs in check just enough to allow the Townies to rally.
There are also a number of players who have moved into key roles with the team and are producing at the right time. Dan Greel, who local high school baseball fans will remember as an all-star with the Rockport Vikings, has been a revelation at catcher for the Townies. Greel has also contributed at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a homerun against Ipswich on Sunday.
“Dan has started every game at catcher for us and has made a big difference at that position for us,” said Spittle. “He went 3-for-3 the other night, and he’s thrown out guys in a couple of games. He hasn’t gotten consistent playing time with us before, but this year he’s the catcher and we’re going to ride him out.”
Other names that will seem instantly familiar to high school baseball fans are Ryan Cusick and Conor Resel, two members of the Gloucester High baseball team that made this spring’s memorable run to the Eastern Mass finals and have signed on to play for the Townies this summer.
“If they don’t have a Legion baseball commitment, they’ll be at most of the games if they can make them,” Spittle said. “They’ll more than likely start the majority of the time here. They’re good, very young ballplayers.”
All of this is intentionally part of the “Keeping up with the Joneses” aspect of the ITL. Manchester Essex, Rockport’s cross-town rival and the defending league champion, was undefeated so far this season as of the start of the week. Keeping up with the Mariners is essential for the Townies.
“We wanted to mix in older guys with younger guys, which is the route Manchester adopted,” Spittle said. “We’ve got to keep up with them. They’re our number one rival, and always have been.”
The Townies play Hamilton on Sunday and will face Beverly on Thursday.
General Warm-Up Looming
Where rain has been the norm for the past two weeks, solid play from the Generals has not. Heading into the middle of this week, the team stood at 3-5, losing two of its last three.
One of those losses, a 7-6 defeat to Ipswich, came thanks to Dylan Durning, who stole home for the game-winning run at Linebrook Park in Ipswich.
Dave Shoreman won with a complete-game effort, allowing four hits, striking out nine, walking six and hitting one batter twice.
Connor Sullivan was charged with the loss in his ITL pitching debut. He pitched great, Hamilton player/coach Tom Jones said, allowing only two hits and one run in four innings of relief.
Hamilton’s starter, Jeff Jensen, allowed four runs in the first, thanks in part to Durning’s first home run of the year.
Tim O’Leary took Shoreman deep to left to bring the score to 4-3, but Kevin Michael’s homer to center gave Ipswich a 6-4 edge.
Mark Provost’s double knotted the score at six, but Durning doubled in the seventh and then stole home with one out and the bases loaded after two walks. Hamilton played perhaps its best game against Beverly later.
Jon Jackson pitched a complete game for the Hamilton Generals in a 7-1 win over Beverly. Jackson allowed only two hits, one unearned run, and struck out 10.
Jones (solo homer), Reggie Maidment (single), Jered Stewart (two solo homers) and Justin Tilley (two-run single) had the Generals’ RBI. Stewart, Bryan Vitale, Luke Painchaud and Maidment all had multi-hit games for the Generals.
Jones and Maidment each had two hits for Hamilton. Judd Funchion took the loss allowing, 10 runs over 5-plus innings.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Rams and Tories Rained Out
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Game Two: Beverly vs. Ipswich Rained Out
Game One: Beverly - 17, Ipswich - 14
Beverly took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first before Ipswich erupted for 7 in the bottom half. Big blows in the inning were Rick Sotiropolous' homerun and Dowley's three run double.
Beverly cut the lead to 7 to 4 with two more runs in the bottom of the 2nd. But, Ipswich continued the onslaught with 4 more runs of their own taking an 11 to 4 lead after two innings. Dowley's 3 run homer keyed the rally.
In the bottom of the third Ipswich scored twice more before Gary Pisa came on in relief and induced a 4-6-3 double play leaving the score at 13 to 4 after three innings. Gary Pisa would allow only one unearned run over 3 2/3 innings of stellar relief holding Ipswich down long enough to earn his first ITL victory.
Beverly waited until the top of the 5th to mount the comeback. The Giants plated 8 runs and cut the Ipswich lead to 13 to 12. Derek Scialdone and Jay Trowt each knocked in two runs during the inning. Gary Pisa held Ipswich scoreless in their half of the fifth.
In the top of the 6th the Giants scored two runs to take a 14 to 13 lead. Jay Trowt's sac fly scored Scialdone and Boyle followed him home courtesy of an errant throw. In Ipswich's half of the inning, following an error and two hit batters, Dave Shoreman doubled in the tying run. The game stood at 14 to 14 after six innings.
The Giants scored three runs in the top of the seventh to take a 17 to 14 lead. Tom Radzim made his second webgem of the day, but Scialdone was credited with a go ahead sac fly to deep center. John Boyle then smashed a triple to deep center plating a run. Bill Boccuzzi knocked Boyle home to finish the scoring.
John Boyle came on in relief in the bottom of the seventh protecting a 3 run lead. Boyle struck out the side in order earning his second save of the season.
Beverly's offense was led by Boyle (3 for 5, 2RBI), Scialdone (2 for 4, 3RBI), and Trowt (1 for 3, 3RBI). Ipswich got contributions from Dowley (2 for 4, HR, 6RBI), Tom Radzim (2 for 5, 2RBI), and Dave Shoreman (2 for 3, RBI).
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Generals Over Tories, 10-2
A night after suffering a tough loss in relief, Mike Drinkwater was back on the mound for the Generals, this time as a starter. Drinkwater allowed only 2 runs over 4 innings of work on route to the win. Rogers went 5 for the Tories allowing 7 runs and was charged with the loss.The Generals did most of their damage in the 3rd inning, sending 11 men to the plate and scoring 7 times. Jones and Provost had back-to-back RBI doubles to get on the board. Jensen also contributed with an RBI double of his own later in the inning. The Generals took a 7-0 lead after 3 complete.
In the bottom of the fourth the Tories touched up Drinkwater for 2 runs. McCarthy and Travers both had RBI singles. The Tories again threatened in the 5th, now with Jensen on the hill. They worked the bases loaded but Jensen got out of the jam unscathed as he made a nice play on a comebacker to end the inning.
The Generals tacked on 3 more in the 6th to round out the scoring. Vitale and Luke Painchuad both got RBI singles. Jensen finished off the bottom of the sixth thanks to some nice defensive plays by the Generals, the game was then called due to darkness. Jones, Provost, Vitale, Jensen, & Painchuad all had multiple hits for the Generals. Hittinger and McCarthy had two hits apiece for the Tories. The two teams play another makeup game next Tuesday (6/30) at Patton Park, 5:45pm start.
