Cats beat Vermont in instant Classic

The North Adams Steeplecats won their second game in a row on Wednesday, winning in walk
off fashion against the Vermont Mountaineers at Joe Wolfe Field by a final score of 5-4.
The ‘Cats continued to do all of the little things right en route to the victory, rallying from down
one in the bottom of the 9th to claim the win. They fought hard, played good, clean baseball,
and were ultimately rewarded with a very sweet win. The pitching kept them within striking
distance throughout, with good performances from all involved, especially starter Gage
Wheaton (Niagara). The bats also kept up the fight throughout the game, and came through in
the clutch to secure a richly deserved win on the night.
The scoring started in the bottom of the first inning, when Bobby Stang (Dayton) singled home
Hunter Ray (Vanderbilt), who had reached via a walk earlier in the frame. Vermont would strike
back in the next half-inning, however, tying up the game on an RBI groundout from Samuel
Bradley (Northwest Florida State). The groundout scored Nick Mullen (George Washington),
who had doubled to lead off the frame.
The score would stay at 1-1 for a couple of innings, until North Adams took the lead by plating
two in the bottom of the 4th. Nelphie Lopez (Portal) scored on a fielder's choice forceout from
Tony Woodie (SUNY Cobleskill), and Woodie would be singled home on the next plate
appearance by Parker Camelo (RIC). However, the lead would not last for long once again, as
Vermont would tie it up in the very next half inning, knotting the score at 3-3 after 4.5.
The Mountaineers would break the tie in the top of the 6th inning, scoring one on a fielder’s
choice. However, despite a ton of traffic in the inning, that would be the only run that they
scored, as a Houdini-like performance from the North Adams pitching staff was able to limit the
damage to a single run and keep Vermont from stretching the lead any further.
The score would stay at 4-3 until the bottom of the 9th inning, despite a couple of late rallies
from the North Adams offense. However, they would fail to score until the bottom of the 9th.
They would load the bases in the bottom of the 9th, when with one out, Lopez hit a broken bat
groundball to the first baseman. His throw home was errant, allowing Chris Diaz (Marist) and
Matt Colella (Lafayette) to score in a walk-off win for the SteepleCats.
Throughout the game, the ‘Cats showed an impressive level of scrappiness and fight that
ultimately allowed them to execute the comeback win. The at-bats were hard-fought and
well-worked from the first inning until the last, and the pitching displayed an impressive level of
tenacity to keep the game within reach and allow for the comeback victory that transpired.
Next up, the ‘Cats travel to Upper Valley for a matchup with the Nighthawks, with first pitch
scheduled for 6 p.m. They then go to North Shore to take on the Navigators, with first pitch
scheduled for 1:35 p.m.