Baseball / Blue Sox bested 7-4 by North Adams

Blue Sox bested 7-4 by North Adams

Date:  Source: NECBL: Valley Blue Sox

NORTH ADAMS, MA – Playing an NECBL Northern division opponent on the road for the third straight night, the Blue Sox fell to the North Adams SteepleCats, 7-4, at Joe Wolfe field in Northwestern Massachusetts. The Sox and ‘Cats have split the first two meetings of their five-game series against each other this season.

North Adams got going early in this one with three runs in the first inning. The “Steeps” delivered two timely hits in the frame. Trey Shaffer started for the Blue Sox, coming in with a 2.87 ERA in three games for the Valley. The SteepleCats scored two of their three tallies on two outs against the Blue Sox tough lefty.

In the second, the Sox got one of those three runs back. Collin Mathews cranked his first home run of the NECBL season deep to left field to make it 3-1. Mathews is batting .246 with two RBI and eight walks this season. The home run was the ninth of the season for the Blue Sox, with eight coming on the road so far.

North Adams added three more runs to their lead in the third inning to take control of the game at 6-1. Trey Shaffer’s night ended with three innings pitched, six runs allowed and five strikeouts. The Southeastern Louisiana Southpaw gave up seven hits and walked five batters in his three frames.

In the top of the sixth, the Blue Sox chipped away at the North Adams lead. Mathews, Michael Wroth and JP Walsh each walked to lead off the inning, and it was bases loaded with no one out. Cody Littlejohn then ripped a two-run double to right-center field to tighten up the score at 6-3 SteepleCats. Littlejohn finished the night 2-4.

On the mound, the Sox bullpen was terrific tonight. Korey Bell, Hunter Waldis and Maddex Richardson combined to allow just one run over five innings of relief. Those three pitchers have given up just two runs out of the ‘pen in 17 stellar innings of work. Their performances tonight gave the Valley a chance to pull out a win.

The Blue Sox added one more run to their total in the eighth on an RBI single by Joe Lomuscio. The newest member of the Sox roster has come through with a single in each of his first two games with the squad, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback in North Adams tonight.

In the end, the Sox dropped the game by a score of 7-4. The loss is the fourth straight for the team, and eighth in their last nine contests, as they now sit at 8-10 on the season. Next, the Blue Sox head home to MacKeznie Stadium for a home game Wednesday night against the Winnipesaukee Muskrats. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm in Holyoke.