Five-Run 10th Dooms SteepleCats in Loss to Mystic

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The North Adams SteepleCats held a 3-1 lead through five innings on Wednesday night, but could not hold the advantage as the 'Cats fell to the visiting Mystic Schooners, 8-3, in 10 innings at Joe Wolfe Field.
 
Mystic scored five runs in the top of the tenth in the first extra inning game of the season for the SteepleCats.
 
Starting pitchers Ryan Tapp (UNC Asheville) and Steve Theetge (Bryant) kept the game scoreless through three innings, before both teams plated a run in the fourth. Ryan Ramiz (Seton Hall) doubled with two outs, and was driven in by Ryan Solomon (Northeastern), who added a double of his own.
 
North Adams responded with back-to-back singles from Michael Gulino (Pace) and Ryan Schalch (Pacific), with Gulino scoring when a throw from right field airmailed third. Gulino was North Adams' offensive leader with three hits in the loss.
 
The SteepleCats took their sole lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, thanks to the second of three Mystic errors. Jake Ackerman (Mission College) and Dustin Shirley (Dartmouth) reached on a walk and a single, and were on first and second with two outs. A fly ball to right by Gulino was dropped by the Schooners, allowing both runs to score and giving North Adams a 3-1 lead.
 
Mystic evened the score in the top of the sixth inning, a 3-3 score that held until the tenth inning. The first two hitters of the inning, Tommy Jew (UC Santa Barbara) and John Trousdale (Alabama), both singled. With one out, Solomon hit his second double of the game to plate both Schooner runners. Relief pitcher Braxton Wilks stranded Solomon at second, and worked two more scoreless frames in an excellent bullpen outing.
 
Five runs crossed the plate for the Schooners in the top of the tenth, providing the difference in the extra-inning affair. Mystic loaded the bases on a leadoff double by Nicholas Mascelli (Wagner) and a pair of walks. With two outs, Solomon drove in his fourth run of the game on a bases loaded walk. A single from Andruw Gazzola (Stony Brook) and a three-run triple from Chris Winkel (Connecticut) added the final four runs of the contest.
 
The SteepleCats are on the road on Thursday and Friday, beginning in White River Junction, Vt., on Thursday evening against the first place Upper Valley Nighthawks. Vanderbilt product Matt McGarry will toe the rubber for the SteepleCats, making his first start of the 2017 season.
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Clarksburg Sees Race for Select Board Seat

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town will see a three-way race for a seat on the Select Board in May. 
 
Colton Andrews, Seth Alexander and Bryana Malloy returned papers by Wednesday's deadline to run for the three-year term vacated by Jeffrey Levanos. 
 
Andrews ran unsuccessfully for School Committee and is former chairman of the North Adams Housing Authority, on which he was a union representative. He is also president of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council.
 
Malloy and Alexander are both newcomers to campaigning. Malloy is manager of industrial relations for the Berkshire Workforce Board and Alexander is a resident of Gates Avenue. 
 
Alexander also returned papers for several other offices, including School Committee, moderator, library trustee and the five-year seat on the Planning Board. He took out papers for War Memorial trustee and tree warden but did not return them and withdrew a run for Board of Health. 
 
He will face off in the three-year School Committee seat against incumbent Cynthia Brule, who is running for her third term, and fellow newcomer Bonnie Cunningham for library trustee. 
 
Incumbent Ronald Boucher took out papers for a one-year term as moderator but did not return them. He was appointed by affirmation in 2021 when no won ran and accepted the post again last year as a write-in.
 
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