Blues snap four game losing streak and clinch playoff birth with 6-2 win
The Bristol Blues snapped a four game losing streak with a 6-2 win over the Ocean State Waves Tuesday night in the final home game of the regular season.
The Blues fell behind early on when Justin Hackett (Bryant) blasted a two-run home run to give the Waves a 2-0 lead. The Blues answered back in the bottom of the third, when Timothy Cap (UConn Avery point) hit an RBI double to left field to make it a 2-1 game.
After both teams got on the board early, the game quickly turned into a pitchers duel. Alexander Kasbarian (Central Connecticut State) came up big in relief for the Blues pitching three scoreless innings and allowing only one hit. In the bottom of the seventh, the Blues were threatening to take the lead with the bases loaded and nobody out. A wild pitch to Scott Gell (Stony Brook) allowed Dean Oneill (Middle Tennessee State) to score and tie the game. Another wild pitch to Jonathan Chatfield (Keene State) brought Thomas Ahlers (Keene State) in to score and give Bristol a 3-2 lead. A Joey Demucci (Penn State) single and a Mika Peterson (Brown) sacrifice fly tacked on two more runs to the lead and gave Bristol a 5-2 lead after seven innings.
Pedro Leon (Holy Cross) came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning and had a three- up three- down inning. The Blues scored one more in the ninth to extend the lead to five. Leon came back out for the ninth and picked up the six out save without allowing a hit and striking out five to close out the 6-2 win.
“We were dying for a win,” Leon said. “I’m just happy I got to deliver the boys for a win.”
The Blues get a much needed win to snap their losing streak and are now 26-17 on the season. With the playoffs right around the corner this win could be a turning point that the Blues can carry into the postseason.
“This is the type of game we were winning all year until this losing streak,” Blues Head Coach Gregg Hunt said. “We just found a way we got out hit tonight we dodged a lot of bullets these guys are just grinders.”
The Blues have one regular season game remaining against the North Adams SteepleCats on Wednesday night. Bristol clinched a playoff spot and will take on the Martha's Vineyard Sharks in a best of three series. Game one of the series will begin at 6:30 p.m on August 1st at Muzzy Field.
Written by Ryan McKenna
Photo Courtesy of Bristol Blues Instagram Page (@bristol_blues)
