Fall League, Week 4: Beavers & Bobcats Triumph

Bill Evans faces off against the Beavers Sunday at Mitchell Field

Hitchcocks 3

Angry Beavers 8

As the 2nd round of games in Fall Ball began, the Angry Beavers looked to avenge a blowout loss to the Hitchcocks, who were hoping to clinch a spot in the Final with a win. The Beavers played spotless defense, made the clutch pitches, stranding 12 Hitchcocks, and came through with runners in scoring position en route to an 8-3 victory.

The visiting Hitchcocks drew first blood off Beavers starter Pat Olearcek when Paul Iellamo, making his season debut, singled in Micah Winston, who had led off with a single. The Beavers answered with a pair of runs in the 2nd off of Hitchcocks starter Jeff Whitehead, loading the bases on hits by Diego Ortiz and Marin Goldstein, and a walk with no outs. Whitehead got the next 2 batters, but Adam Rodrigues blooped a 2-run single to right for the lead. The Hitchcocks immediately tied it up when Miguel Ringler legged out an infield hit on which Olearcek tweaked his hammy and had to be replaced by Pres Pieraccini, who allowed the run to score on an RBI groundout by Bill Evans.

Morriss Partee came on in the 4th for the Hitchcocks, and was rudely greeted by consecutive 1-out singles by Goldstein, Olearcek and Stu Clark. Tony Maspo brought in a run with a sac fly to CF and then Rodrigues followed with a monster 2-run double to deep LF for a 5-2 lead.

Meanwhile, hurler Ken Sloat was effective in the 3 middle innings for the Beavers, allowing only 1 run in the 5th when Jeff Whitehead singled and scored on Tom Sebastyn's RBI groundout. The Beavers broke it open in the 6th against Partee. Garcia, Goldstein, Olearcek and Clark all singled with no outs, and another run scored on a 6-4-3 double play. Pitcher Partee held up 4 fingers to intentionally walk Rodrigues and was able to escape the inning without further damage.

Gary Webber came in to shut the door, throwing 3 scoreless innings, while driving in the last run in the 7th off of reliever Evans when Jack Eisenstadt was hit by a pitch and scored on his RBI single.

In what may have been a first for TNB 50+ Fall Ball, there was only 1 error in the entire game and no unearned runs scored. In particular, the Beavers' left fielders shone, making 7 catches on long fly balls by 'Cocks sluggers, include 2 fine running catches by Nolan Anaya.

On offense, the Beavers' Rodrigues drove in 4 on 2 hits, Olearcek was 3-3 with a walk, and Goldstein singled and scored 3 times. For the Hitchcocks, Winston was 3-3 with a walk and run and Ringler had a pair of hits.

Game photos courtesy of Stu Clark

Holyoke Millers 7

Bobcats 8

In an intense and thrilling rematch of their week 1 matchup, the Holyoke Millers and the Bobcats faced off Sunday morning at Anniversary Field, giving fans a nail-biting game from start to finish.

The Millers got on the board first, scoring a run in the second inning and another in the third to take a 2-0 lead. Their early offense was a result of timely hitting and aggressive base running. Millers' hitters Jeff Cabana and Andy Klepacki were instrumental, each showing sharp discipline at the plate. Meanwhile, their defense and pitching kept the Bobcats off the board through the first three innings.

In the fourth inning, both teams began to heat up offensively. The Millers tacked on another run to make it 3-0, but the Bobcats responded immediately, plating their first run of the game in the bottom half of the inning to close the gap to 3-1.

The turning point of the game came in the bottom of the fifth, where the Bobcats' bats exploded. The Bobcats unleashed a four-run outburst, grabbing the lead for the first time, 5-3. The Millers’ pitching, which had been solid early on, suddenly found itself under immense pressure from the Bobcats' aggressive offensive attack.

Undeterred, the Millers tried to mount a comeback. In the sixth, both teams traded runs again, as the Bobcats maintained a 6-4 lead. The Millers’ hitters, led by Cabana and Klepacki, continued to fight, but the Bobcats seemed to have the momentum firmly in their grasp. Heading into the seventh inning, the Bobcats added another two runs, pushing their lead to 8-5 and putting themselves in a commanding position.

The Millers, however, refused to go down quietly. They scraped across a run in the eighth to cut the lead to 8-6, and the tension was palpable heading into the ninth. The final inning saw the Millers claw their way back into the game, scoring two more runs to bring the score to 8-7. With the tying run just 90 feet away and the go-ahead run at the plate, the game hung in the balance.

Bobcats’ ace, Ricky Fleurent, showing poise under pressure, managed to get the final out, sealing the victory and allowing the Bobcats to escape with a narrow 8-7 win. The Millers’ late rally fell just short, leaving them with a bitter taste of what might have been.

Chad Walker’s performance at the plate (3-4, 1 run) and Ricky Fleurent’s solid day (2-3) were pivotal in securing the Bobcats’ victory. For the Millers, Jeff Cabana (2-3, 2 runs) and Andy Klepacki (3-4, 2 runs) stood out in a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful comeback effort.