NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The North Adams SteepleCats rallied for five runs in the bottom of the nintn but dropped an 8-7 decision to the Bristol Blues in the New England Collegiate Baseball League regular season finale at Joe Wolfe Field on Wednesday.

 

Bristol pitcher Jordan Paradis got a fly ball out with the bases loaded to end the game and give the SteepleCats a 21-23 record to end the regular season.

 

North Adams had already secured the third seed in the NECBL North Division, and it will open the league playoffs at No. 2 Sanford, Maine, on Friday in the first game of a best-of-three series.

 

The Mainers will be at Joe Wolfe on Saturday evening for the second game of the series.

 

Gabriel Natividad went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI to lead a four-hit North Adams attack in Wednesday's game against the Blues.

 

The SteepleCats worked 13 walks in the game, which featured 11 pitchers.