SteepleCats Fall to Upper Valley Nighthawks
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams SteepleCats were unable to overcome a pair of multi-run innings Friday night at Joe Wolfe Field, falling 5-1 to the Upper Valley Nighthawks.
North Adams pitcher Jakob Foster was making his first start after throwing only two innings earlier in the season and looked sharp early. The right-hander struck out two in a scoreless first inning before punching out three more hitters in the second, allowing just a hit batter to reach base.
Upper Valley broke through in the third. Alejandro Puig opened the inning with a single before James Love doubled with two outs. A two-run double by Magoulik gave the Nighthawks a 2-0 lead before Foster escaped the frame.
The SteepleCats struggled to generate offense against Upper Valley starter Trey Sejnoha, who retired the first nine North Adams hitters in order. Nick Lamelo finally reached in the third, hustling into second on a ball misplayed in right field.
North Adams put together its best threat of the game in the fourth. Bobby Stang reached on an error and Nelphie Lopez worked a walk to put two runners aboard. Chris Diaz moved both runners into scoring position with a groundout, but Sejnoha induced a foul fly ball to end the inning and strand both runners.
The Nighthawks added to their lead in the fifth. After an error extended the inning, Upper Valley loaded the bases before a hit batter forced home a run. Jake Bell followed with a two-run double, pushing the Nighthawks’ advantage to 5-0.
The SteepleCats answered with another opportunity in the bottom half of the inning. Shawn Stephenson and Owen Arias recorded back-to-back infield singles, and a walk to Evan Meier loaded the bases with two outs. Reliever Nick Tamburro entered and escaped the jam with a strikeout, preserving the shutout.
David Johnson took over on the mound for North Adams in the sixth and settled things down. The reliever worked two scoreless innings, striking out three while allowing just one hit and one walk.
Brady Burgess followed with a strong eighth inning. After a leadoff walk and an infield single put two runners aboard, Burgess struck out two hitters and stranded both runners to keep the deficit at five.
The SteepleCats finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth. Bobby Stang lined a deep single to left before Chris Diaz delivered North Adams’ biggest hit of the night, ripping an RBI double into center field to score the SteepleCats’ lone run and cut the lead to 5-1.
Tyler Tedeschi handled the ninth inning on the mound, recording a strikeout and keeping the Nighthawks off the scoreboard. North Adams, however, could not mount a rally in the bottom half, as Upper Valley pitcher Brian Smith struck out two hitters to close out the victory.
Stephenson, Arias, Stang, Lopez and Diaz each recorded hits for the SteepleCats, while Diaz drove in the club’s only run. Foster finished with five strikeouts over five innings of work.
North Adams will look to bounce back in its next contest Saturday against the North Shore Navigators as the SteepleCats continue their homestand at Joe Wolfe Field.
