Taconic's Pause No-Hits Pittsfield
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Damon Pause struck out 13, walked two and did not allow a hit on Thursday in pitching the Taconic baseball team to a 10-0 win over rival Pittsfield at Buddy Pellerin Field.
Pause also helped his cause by going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and a pair of RBIs as Taconic bounced back from Monday’s loss at Minnechaug and improved to 6-2 this spring.
“Honestly, my curveball,” Pause said when asked what made the difference in the run-rule no-hitter. “I was throwing it often, throwing it well, always for strikes.
“I just kept pounding the zone.”
Pause improved to 3-1 this season and lowered his earned run average to 2.09.
And he stranded four runners over the first three innings to hold the Generals at bay until Taconic broke the game open with a five-run fifth.
“We had some big hits, but we’re not really pounding the ball,” Taconic coach Kevin Stannard said. “They helped us out with a couple of blunders. But any time you can beat Pittsfield High, your crosstown rival, it’s a good win, whether it’s 10-0 or 1-0. It doesn’t matter.
“But Damon was lights out today.”
A dropped third strike, an error and a walk loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but Pause ended the Generals’ threat with another strikeout that was dropped, leading to a forceout at the plate by Thunder catcher Christian Aldrich.
Pittsfield starter Cam Hillard, meanwhile, pitched around base runners in the first and second inning but could not avoid damage in the top of the third.
Gavin O’Donnell drew a leadoff walk and went to third on Christian Salzarulo’s single.
A pitch to the backstop scored O’Donnell, and Quentin Christopher’s sacrifice fly plated Salzarulo to make it 2-0. Pause then worked a walk that signaled the end of the day for Hillard.
“If we’re not going to throw strikes, we’re not going to be able to pitch very long out there,” Pittsfield coach Drew Pearce said. “When you get behind a good team like that and you’re behind in counts and giving free passes, that’s the name of the game.
“He was struggling a little bit. He was coming off a [pre-season injury], so he was out a solid two weeks before he could throw and do activity. So he’s on a semi-limited pitch count. It was probably going to be 60 [pitches] at most today anyway.”
Eddie Ferris continued the third-inning rally with a single, and a walk to Connor Paronto loaded the bases for the Thunder. Pause scored on a wild pitch, and Chase Wendling singled to left to drive in a pair of runs and make it 5-0.
That is where it stood until the fifth, when Taconic batted around again and scored five more runs. The highlight was a two-run double by Pause.
“I think the kids put some pretty good at-bats together,” Stannard said. “Quentin [Christopher] and Eddie [Ferris] both had those sac flies. They had good at-bats. And Ethan [O’Donnell] coming up with the big hit to give us the 10 [runs].
“So, some real positives. And, obviously, our defense didn’t have to worry too much today, Damon was that good.”
Pause retired the last seven batters he faced – six by strikeout.
Taconic (6-2) plays its eighth road game to open the season on Friday when it goes to Ware.
Pittsfield (4-4) will look to snap a two-game skid on Saturday morning at home against Belchertown.