North Adams, MA- The North Adams SteepleCats (5-20) and the Sanford Mainers (12-14) met in the commonwealth for the second and final time in 2022 on Friday night. The pitching matchup pitted two right-handers, Cole Zaffiro (UPenn) and Matthew Sapienza (Georgetown).

Zaffiro struck out the side in the top of the first and in the bottom of the frame, the Cats got rolling. Hunter Pasqualini (Central Connecticut State) led off with a single, and Vince Bianchina (Northwestern) reached on an error putting runners at the corners with nobody out.

Cedric Rose (UMASS-Lowell) stepped to the plate and promptly hit a fly ball to right field that was plenty deep enough for Pasqualini to trot home and score the game's first run. 

Zaffiro allowed two hits to open the inning in the second but retired the next three batters in short order. Zaffiro would toss four solid innings and did not allow a run.

The SteepleCats scored another run in the third on an RBI single by Brady Mutz (Monmouth) and two more in the fourth on a two-run single by Rose to give the Cats a 4-0 lead after four innings. Early in this contest, it seemed like the big story would be Cedric Rose, but Sanford changed that in the seventh.

The Mainers picked up their first run of the game in the top of the fifth inning. David Bermudez (Manhattan) hit a sacrifice fly that brought home Matthew Polk (Vanderbilt). Then in the top of the seventh, North Adams fell apart.

Nate Beal (UPenn) came into pitch after Thomas Quinn (Albany) worked through the fifth and sixth innings. Beal started inauspiciously as he plunked Polk to open the frame. He then forced Aidan Kane (Delaware) to fly out to right, and it appeared as if the right-hander might settle down, but it was not in the cards.

The next batter Cal Hewitt (Vanderbilt), crushed a two-run shot over the left field wall and brought the Mainers within one run. A double and two walks later, the bases were loaded for Alex Knapp (George Mason). Knapp promptly singled to left, driving in two runs and giving the Mainers a 5-4 lead. 

Sanford wasn't done just yet. Another walk reloaded the bases, which brought Quinn McDaniel (Maine) to the plate. McDaniel hit a lazy pop up into shallow left. The shortstop Tommy DiTullio (Bryant) sprinted over and made the catch. However, the runner on third base, Jake Rainess (Maine), realized DiTullio would have a tough time making the throw to the plate. He tagged up and scored the fifth run of the inning, bringing the Sanford lead to 6-4.

Try as they might, the SteepleCats were unable to start a rally. Through the final three frames, North Adams mustered only two hits but only got as far as third base. The Cats dropped their fifth straight game and fell to 5-20 on the season.

The North Adams SteepleCats will be back at it tonight as they travel to New Hampshire to play the North division's Winnipesaukee Muskrats. Randy Reyes (Central Connecticut State) will get the start for the SteepleCats, while Geoffrey Mosseau (St. John's) will do the same for the Muskrats. First pitch is at 6:00 p.m.

You can stream tonight's game through this link: https://necblnetwork.com/?B=395009.