Friday, July 4, 2008

By Bob Molta, Silkworms Sports Information Department

MANCHESTER’S LATE LEAD SLIPS AWAY IN 6-5 LOSS TO PITTSFIELD

Dukes wake up in seventh, score five times to gain NECBL Southern Division win

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Ineffective middle and late-inning relief continues to prevent the Manchester Silkworms from gaining momentum and moving closer to the top of the Southern Division standings. Friday night, Pittsfield erased a late four-run deficit by scoring five runs against three pitchers in the bottom of the seventh inning to post a 6-5 victory before a delighted capacity crowd on Fireworks Night at Waconah Park.

By scrapping back with six of their game total of ten hits in that seventh inning, it is Pittsfield (10-10) which breaks from a two-way tie for third place with Manchester (9-11) and slips into second place in the division. By winning, Pittsfield remains one game behind the Gulls (10-8) and vaults a half-game ahead of Torrington (8-9), which fell out of second place with its loss at Newport. Manchester, which avoided a late-inning collapse Thursday by rallying for a run in the eighth after blowing a 3-0 lead, is in sole possession of fourth place in the division.

Friday night, second baseman Craig Hertler made up for three errors by driving in two key runs in a five-run Pittsfield seventh inning as the Dukes rallied from a late 5-1 deficit. Hertler tied the game with a two-run single in the seventh, and JT Musso followed with a successful suicide squeeze which  plated the winning run one batter later.

In his second start of the season, righty James Kukucka (Vernon, CT/Eastern Conn.) allowed only four hits through the first six innings -- only one hit after the first inning -- and carried a 5-1 lead into the seventh before being lifted after giving up three straight one-out hits. Despite battling a Pittsfield lineup of six left-handed hitters, Kukucka faced the minimum number of batters (15) after the first inning and retired 13 straight before Matt Adams stroked a one-out home run in the seventh to cut Manchester's lead to 5-2. In relief of Kukucka, righty Brandon Otto (Cicero, NY/Le Moyne) gave up three straight singles -- the final one coming off the bat of Hertler that tied the game -- and was lifted immediately.

Kukucka, who had struggled in his last two outings (seven walks and five earned runs in 2 2/3 inning), returned to the scene of his first NECBL win three weeks ago. In a 5-4 win here June 11, Kukucka allowed only one run in a season-high three innings in place of starter Nick Noblit (Westfield, MA/American International), and Otto pitched a perfect ninth for this third save as the Silkworms put an end to the Dukes’ season-opening four-game winning streak.

Friday, Otto entered the fracus in search of his first save since that June 11 game,but instead, was saddled with his third loss in as many decisions. The only holdover from last year’s team, Otto was 1-0 with a save in 2007 when he served as a setup man for lights-out closer Rob Hallberg (franchise-record 12 saves).

Manchester took a 2-1 lead against Pittsfield when No. 9 hitter Ryan Piacentini (Portland, ME/Trinity) and leadoff hitter AJ Rusbarsky (Freehold, NJ/Seton Hall) had run-producing singles in the fourth. The Silkworms made it 4-1 with two unearned runs in the second – the rally ignited by Zach Hudson’s (Nashville, TN/Middle Tennessee) one-out double – and stretched the lead to 5-1 by scoring another unearned run after there were two out and none on in the seventh.

Despite their four-run lead, the Silkworms couldn't finish off the Dukes as they stranded 14 runners (four times leaving two aboard).  With runners on second and third and one down in the eighth, the Silkworms had the potential tying run thrown out at home on a ground ball to third base. With two out, Pittsfield gambled when an intentional walk to Chris Affinito (East Brinswick, NJ/Seton Hall) moved the go-ahead run to second base and loaded the bases, but it paid off when reliever Zack Anderson induced a fly ball to center to end the threat. In 17 innings, the right-handed Anderson has yet to surrender an earned run.

Mike Bourdon (Simsbury, CT/Fairfield) had four hits -- one shy of the Manchester game record, while Michael Gallic (Tolland, CT/Marist) reached safely three times with two hits and a walk.

The Silkworms played without an error for the first time since June 16, getting back-to-back fielding gems from second baseman Piacentini (backhanded pickup and hard throw) and centerfielder Gallic (one-handed grab at the warning track) to start the fourth and one from shortstop Rusbarsky, who ended the fifth with a leaping stab of a line drive.

Having pocketed one-run wins in two games this season with North Adams, Manchester visits the SteepleCats Saturday in the second of four straight road games. Noblit (2-1, 1.93) is expected to start for the Silkworms.

Pittsfield Dukes 6, Manchester Silkworms 5

Manchester (9-11)       000      220      100      --         5          12        0

Pittsfield (9-10)            100      000      50x      --         6          10        4

James Kukucka, Brandon Otto (7), Mike Anarumo (7) and Mike Bourdon. Alex MacKenzie, Luke Mazzanti (7), Zack Anderson (8) and JT Musso. WP-Mazzanti (1-1). LP-Otto (0-3). Save-Anderson (2); 2B-Zach Hudson (M); HR-Mike Adams (3) (P).