Finding A Groove
The Nighawks dominate the night, backed by a seven-run second inning and a stellar pitching performance to notch their third straight win to start the early season, as they take down the SteepleCats 12-1.
It was the visitors from North Adams who got on the board in the top half of the first. J.T. Thompson had a leadoff single and would make it to third off an error from Michael Trommer. Nolan DeAndrade made it back-to-back SteepleCats aboard. A 0-1 wild pitch from Joseph Chambers would score North Adams’ only run of the game.
The Nighthawks would answer right back in the bottom half of the frame after Nick Monile battled a full count to get a leadoff single. Nicholas Mazzotta and Kyle Neri would follow that up with back-to-back walks. Ryan Preisano would hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Nick Monile to tie the ballgame at one. The Nighthawks would strand three on base in that bottom half of the first, but they certainly would drive lots of runs in the next inning.
Upper Valley would bat around the order in the bottom of the second inning. Fresh face in the Nighthawks’ lineup, Cameron Boardmon, would be plunked to lead off things, A.J. Brotz would walk, and Nick Monile would load the bases on an infield hit. Kyle Neri, with one out, would battle for a walk to bring in Boardmon, and then Anthony Greco had a two-run RBI single to bring home Brotz and Monile. The damage wasn’t fully done, though. Preisano, Shuhet, Trommer, and Boardman would all deliver singles, making it five straight base hits following the Mazzotta strikeout. The Nighthawks' final line from that half inning: seven runs on five hits with just one left on base.
The Nighthawks would hold an 8-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth, where they would tack on four runs just like how they started the seven-run rally, only it was Mazzotta getting plunked to leadoff. Neri would make an error from SteepleCats’ third baseman Nick Bergamotto to put two on for Upper Valley. Greco took a walk in the following at-bat to load the bases. Preisano would ground out to Bergamotto, but that brought in Mazzotta to score the first run of their four in the sixth. Nick Shuhet would also reach on an error this time from the second baseman, John Brucato. Michael Trommer followed with a walk to score in Kyle Neri, and then back-to-back singles from Cameron Boardmon and A.J. Brotz scored two more runs for the Nighthawks to take a commanding 12-1 lead, which they would command en route to win number four of the season.
The Nighthawks finished the night with nine hits, but despite only two players without hits, everyone in the lineup had made it on base in some way that night; the team combined for twelve RBIs. Michael Trommer and Ryan Preisano combined for half of those twelve.
Michael Bradshaw grabs the win in his first NECBL appearance this season. He tossed three innings of no-hit ball, fanning just one batter of the 10 he faced.
Anthoni Kiafoulis, who started on the bump for the Steeplecats, earned the loss in the matchup. He threw one and a third innings, allowing four hits, eight earned runs, five walks, and only struck out one batter.
The Nighthawks, who sit a game behind first in the North Division, will look to avenge their first loss, as they are once again on the road to take on the first-place Keene Swamp Bats tomorrow. First pitch is set for 6:35.
