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The Williamstown Cal Ripken League Rookie Division team sponsored by iBerkshires.com participates in festivities at Joe Wolfe Field on Sunday evening. Pictured from the team: Kayla Miller, Arden and Oliver Torres, Addison and Olivia Eakin, Daniel Taylor, Ashton Solomon, and coaches Steve Miller, Emily Eakin and John Taylor. Not pictured: Kylie Livingstone.

SteepleCats Drop Sunday Scuffle with Swamp Bats

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The North Adams SteepleCats saw their two-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday evening, as the visiting Keene Swamp Bats claimed an 8-2 victory.
 
The hosts could not solve Keene starter Tim Elliott, who did not allow a run over seven innings on the mound.
 
Keene took an early lead in the top of the first inning, plating a pair of runs on a big two-out hit. Singles by Dean Lockery (Central Connecticut State) and Nathaniel Eikhoff (Virginia) had two men aboard with two outs, when Robert Boselli (St. John's) doubled into left center field to score both runs, giving the Swamp Bats a 2-0 lead.
 
The Swamp Bats posted the game's biggest inning in the top of the third, scoring four runs to extend their lead to 6-0. A single, a double, and a walk loaded the bases with no outs, leading to the arrival of Braxton Wilks (Abilene Christian) on the mound. Tucker Bradley (Georgia) drove in two runs with a double, and two more runs crossed the plate on singles by Hagen Holmstead (Iowa Western CC) and Ethan Stringer (Louisville).
 
A seventh Keene run was added in the top of the fifth. Holmstead drew a walk as the second hitter of the inning, and scored when Lockery singled him home with two outs.
 
North Adams got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Jonathan Engelmann (Michigan) led off the inning with his first SteepleCat hit, a single. He was then driven in by Hunter Beetley (Eastern Illinois), whose first SteepleCat hit was an RBI double. After a walk to Dustin Shirley (Dartmouth), Michael Gulino batted in Beetley with a double of his own.
 
One run in the top of the ninth concluded the scoring for the Bats. Bradley singled and Yasin Chentouf (Pittsburgh) walked, leading to a double steal where an error sent Bradley in to score.
 
The SteepleCat bullpen was strong on Sunday, throwing seven innings with just two earned runs allowed between Wilks and Mount Greylock Regional School graduate Robby Buffis (Ithaca). The loss was charged to Alex Pantuso (Slippery Rock), who worked the first two innings of the game.
 
Sunday's game was the first of two consecutive home games for the SteepleCats, with the 'Cats battling the Winnipesaukee Muskrats at Joe Wolfe Field on Monday. Blake Whitney, who entered Sunday as the NECBL strikeout leader, will climb the mound for the fourth time this season. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime. 
 
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather. 
 
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5
 
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
 
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure. 
 
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
 
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
 
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