SteepleCats Fall To Blue Sox Amid Pitching Struggles

NORTH ADAMS, Mass —While the rain held off in North Adams, the Valley Blue Sox offense came to Joe Wolfe Field with a full head of steam.

Pitching blunders and a struggling offense led to an 11-0 loss Wednesday night for the North Adams SteepleCats courtesy of the visiting Valley Blue Sox.

SteepleCats starting pitcher Stanley Vargas’ night ended quite early in the 2nd after the right-hander allowed six runs to cross the plate off of four hits and four walks. Harvard’s Grant Stone then took the mound for North Adams, pitching 2.2 innings where the Blue Sox extended their lead to 8-0. Two-way player Jackson Coutts of Rhode Island also saw the mound, tossing two innings and allowing the Blue Sox’s lead to reach its highest point at 11-0. Greg Gasparro closed the last three innings for the SteepleCats, allowing no runs or hits for the visiting team and striking out five.

The three SteepleCats hits came off of Blue Sox starter Endy Morales, who pitched five innings and only walked one. Robert Girgis then relieved Morales, baffling batters as he allowed no hits and struck out ten in four innings.

After falling into an early hole, outfielder Kyle Norman was one of the few SteepleCats to garner a hit Wednesday night. The Monmouth University senior keyed in on trying to leave the team’s performance in the past and get prepared for the next game.

“It’s definitely tough,” said Norman. “We got a little unlucky, but we just gotta shake this one and move on to tomorrow”.

Tomorrow’s game will feature the SteepleCats taking on the Mystic Schooners at 6:30 at Joe Wolfe Field. Starting pitchers include Danny Taggart for North Adams and Kumar Nambiar for Mystic. Tickets can be purchased online at www.steeplecats.org or at the Ticket Booth one hour prior to the game’s start.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.