Berkshire Thunder, BBA Come Back to Win Berkshire Adult Baseball League Crowns
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| Seamus Morrison, right went the distance on the mound to win Game 2 of the best-of-three championship series. |
CHESHIRE, Mass. -- Seven innings of solid defense allowed the Berkshire Thunder to get to a deciding game in the Berkshire Adult Baseball League on Sunday.
One big offensive inning gave it a league title.
The Thunder topped the Adams Aces by scores of 5-4 and 17-12 to win the league’s 35-year-old division crown in a best-of-three series.
The Thunder roared back after dropping the first game of the series on Saturday in Dalton on a day of comebacks in the BABL.
Down in Dalton on Sunday, the Berkshire Baseball Academy, which blew a four-run lead in an extra-innings loss on Saturday, came back to twice beat the Lenox Bulldogs, 1-0 and 11-1, in the BABL 20-year-old division final.
At Hoosac Valley High School on Sunday, Seamus Morrison threw seven complete innings in Game 2, and Jesus Lay went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a pair of stolen bases in the finale.
The Thunder turned two double plays in Sunday’s opener. Catcher Darren Jefferson threw out a runner at second base, and left fielder Livernay Vasallo made a diving catch and had an outfield assist behind Morrison.
The right-hander scattered 10 hits in the complete-game win.
The Thunder jumped out to an earl lead with two in the top of the first, cashing in when David Vidal reached on a leadoff error. Lay earned a walk, and both moved up on pitches that got to the backstop before Paul McBride hit a two-run single to left.
The Aces responded with a run in the first and a run in the second. Peter Greenbush (2-for-3) doubled and scored in the first, and Mike Delsoldato drove in a run in the second to tie it.
The Thunder went on top for good when McBride’s infield single brought home a run in the top of the third to make it 3-2.
In the fifth, the Thunder got some insurance with RBI singles by Lay and Wes Filkins to push the lead to 5-2.
The insurance came in handy one inning later when Pat Ryan (3-for-3) hit a two-run homer to left field that got the Aces within one.
But Morrison closed the door with a ground ball to the next batter. In the seventh, he gave up a leadoff single but then retired the next three on a strikeout and a pair of fly balls to even the series, 1-1.
The deciding game got off to a wild start when the Thunder scored five times in the top of the first. Two Adams errors helped, and Lay doubled in a pair in the rally.
The Aces struck back with three runs; Ryan hit a two-run single, and Gary Munson hit a sac fly.
Adams then tied it in the second on a Matt Larabee sac fly and an RBI single by Jeremy Broadwell.
The Thunder regained the lead in the third with Corey Lehmuth hit a two-run single to make it 7-5.
It was 8-6 going to the sixth, when Berkshire batted around, scoring seven times to put the game out of reach.
Darren Jefferson hit an RBI double down the right field line, and T.J. Hillard went 2-for-2 with an RBI in the inning as the Thunder took a commanding 15-6 advantage.
Adams cut into that margin with a four-run sixth before Vidal went from center field to the mound to close th e door with the final two outs.
Vidal ended up stranding two in the sixth and two more in the seventh to preserve the win.
20-year-old Division
DALTON, Mass. -- Joe Bateman threw a two-hit shutout on the mound and drove in the game’s only run as BBA won Game 2 of the championship series, 1-0.
In the fourth inning, Dave DiNicola walked and stole second ahead of Bateman (3-for-3), who drove in the game’s only run.
James Forgett allowed just four hits in a losing cause for Lenox.
The rubber match was never in doubt after BBA scored five in the first and five in the second.
Ryan Shook had two hits, including a double, and drove in a pair of runs. Mike Massery went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Christian Robitaille had two hits and two RBIs.
D.J. Clark allowed just three hits to earn the win on the mound for BBA.
T.J. Shumsky singled and scored on Carl Zurrin’s RBI for Lenox.
