DANBURY, Conn. – Rutgers University first baseman Charlie Law blasted his second home run in as many days in the top of the ninth inning, and that was enough to push North Adams to a 4-2 victory over Danbury on Saturday evening at Rogers Park.

 

With the score even at 2-2 after both teams had gone scoreless in the previous three innings, Law – the redshirt junior who had missed all of 2011 recovering from Tommy John Surgery – deposited his second homer of the season, this one a two-run bomb, over the right center field fence to keep the SteepleCats (3-0, 2-0 West) unbeaten on the young 2012 season.

 

Dowling College sophomore Tom Bammann earned the victory in his first relief outing of the season, as the right-hander tossed 3 2/3 hitless frames of scoreless ball with four strikeouts and two walks over that span. Villanova junior Matt Longfield pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first save of the season.

 

For the third game in a row, North Adams out-slugged the opposition by means of its 8-5 edge in total hits, while the SteepleCats committed their first error of the season after posting perfect fielding numbers through the first two games.

 

The Westerners (1-1, 0-1 West) took an early lead in the bottom of the second before the SteepleCats manufactured a run in the top of the third to draw even. The visitors went ahead by a run before Danbury evened the score at 2-all in the bottom of the fifth. That run would score until Law’s heroics in the top of the ninth.

 

Danbury plated a run in the second, as Andrew Garner lifted a leadoff double against North Adams starter Chris Bielak (4 1/3, five hits, one strikeout, two runs, two walks) and later scored to give the home side the lead.

 

The SteepleCats drew even after URI sophomore Jeff Roy got aboard on a fielding error in the top of the third. After swiping two bags, Roy came in to score on an RBI groundout to tie the game.

 

Notre Dame freshman Conor Biggio put the SteepleCats ahead temporarily with a solo homer in the top of the fifth – his second of the season – off of Danbury starter Erik Luksis, but the Westerners scored again in the home half of the inning to make it 2-2.

 

North Adams stranded 11 base runners compared to five for Danbury... Roy finished the game with three stolen bases, bringing his league-leading total to seven through three games... Bielak totaled 51 pitches (30 strikes) compared to 57 for Bammann (33 strikes)... North Adams is looking for its best start since a 4-0 in 2010.