SANFORD, Maine. -- The North Adams SteepleCats gained a critical victory on Friday night, knocking off the Sanford Mainers 2-0 at Goodall Park in Sanford.

 

Thev'Cats kept their NECBL Playoff hopes alive with the victory, moving closer to the third place Keene Swamp Bats.

 

Neither team was able to score in the first three innings of the contest, thanks to stellar starts from Ryan Tapp (UNC Asheville) and Stephen Arntsen (Manhattan). Tapp put together a tremendous outing, tossing five shutout innings with just three hits allowed.

 

Michael Gulino (Pace) gave North Adams their first lead in the top of the fourth inning. Gulino belted his second home run of the season over the left field wall, a solo shot that gave the SteepleCats a 1-0 advantage. Dillon Paulson (USC) followed with a double, extending his NECBL-best hit streak to 16 games. After a single from Taylor Lane (Arizona State), Ryan Schalch (Pacific) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, driving in Paulson to stretch the lead to 2-0.

 

A combination of stellar pitching and outstanding defense maintained the North Adams lead throughout the ballgame. After Tapp left the game after five innings, Zach Reid (West Virginia) entered the contest and tossed two scoreless frames. He recieved aid in the field in the bottom of the seventh. The first hitter of the inning was retired when Bryce Peterson (UCF) made a highlight-worthy diving catch in center field, and the final two outs were turned by Lane and Liam Sabino (Pittsburgh) on a double play.

 

Tim Fallon (UMass Lowell) came in for the bottom of the eighth inning, and kept the 2-0 intact for the SteepleCats. Fallon ended the inning by striking out NECBL All-Star and college teammate Colby Maiola with a runner on second base.

 

Sanford put a scare into the SteepleCats in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a run and loading the bases. Riley Pittman (UALR) drove in a run with a groundout, and the Mainers loaded the bases with a double, a hit batsmen, and a walk. TJ Pagan (Pittsburgh) got out of it for the SteepleCats, getting Harrison Ray (Vanderbilt) to pop out to Paulson to end it.

 

The SteepleCats return home for the second to last time in the 2017 season on Saturday night, welcoming the Newport Gulls to Joe Wolfe Field. Braxton Wilks (Abilene Christian), who is 11-1 in his SteepleCats career, will make his final start in North Adams. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., but there will be Family Fun Day activities in connection with All-Star Weekend throughout the day.