B.B.A. Stays Perfect in Berkshire Adult Baseball League
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Hunter Potash went 2-for-3 with a double at the plate and pitched two innings of scoreless relief to earn the win on the mound Thursday as B.B.A. edged Different Breed, 4-3, in the Berkshire Adult Baseball League.
Potash reached on an infield single and ended up scoring on a two-base error in the top of the sixth to break a 3-3 tie.
He then stranded the potential tying run at first to complete two innings of one-hit relief and help his team stay unbeaten at 3-0 this summer in the league’s 20-and-over division.
Different Breed (3-2) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning at Crosby Elementary School.
Tanner Bird got things started when he walked and stole second base. He then scored on a single to left by Christian Womble.
Womble moved up when D.J. Clark was hit by a pitch and then stole third and came home on an overthrow to give Different Breed a two-run cushion.
B.B.A., which came from behind with a nine-run sixth inning for a 12-6 win in the teams’ first meeting this year, staged its comeback early this time around.
Ian Benoit led off the bottom of the first with a single, and Joe Traversa and Potash followed with back-to-back doubles to tie it..
Potash moved up on a groundout and came home on Christian Robitaille’s single to left to give B.B.A. a 3-2 lead.
Starter Richard Dumas held that advantage through the middle innings, allowing just one hit over the next three.
But Different Breed scratched out an unearned run in the top of the fifth.
Izaiya Mestre reached on a fielder’s choice with one out, stole second, took third on a passed ball and came home on Jett Steinman’s sacrifice fly.
Dumas got out of the inning without giving up any more damage before turning the ball over to Potash in the top of the sixth.
Potash retired the side in order with a strikeout and a pair of comebackers to get B.B.A. back to the plate.
Traversa led off with an infield single but was gunned down trying to steal second by Different Breed’s Slayter Aubin.
Potash then reached on an infield single and moved up on Andrew Senger’s single to right.
David Delgado then lined out in the infield, but the throw to first to try to double up Senger got away, and Potash was awarded home plate to break the tie.
In the top of the seventh, Clark tried to get something going with a two-out single, but Potash got the next batter on a fly ball to the outfield to end it.
Dumas struck out four and walked three while allowing two runs in five innings in a no-decision.
Scott Blanchette took the loss for Different Breed, striking out five and walking none in 5-⅓ innings of work. Bird picked up the last two outs of the sixth on the mound for the visitors.
B.B.A. will look to stay unbeaten on Sunday morning when it plays Housatonic at Clapp Park. Different Breed plays the Great Barrington Millers next Thursday at Crosby.
