Cats loose first in Keene

The SteepleCats dropped their first of two straight matchups against the defending champion
Keene SwampBats by a score of 10-1.
The final score disguised the fact that for much of the game, it was a very close contest. In fact,
it was a veritable pitcher’s duel for the first four innings, as the teams traded zeroes early on.
North Adams played well throughout the contest, consistently threatening to score, but could not
find the big hit to break things open. The pitching also looked strong once again, meaning that
there were lots of positives to take away even in defeat.
The scoring would not start until the top of the 5th inning, and it would be North Adams who
struck first. Colsen Loughren (Mass Maritime) would slice a double down the right field line, and
a couple of batters later, Evan Meier (Mount St. Mary’s) would bring him home on an infield
single. Despite loading the bases, that would be the only run that North Adams would score in
the frame, as a masterful job from the Keene pitching staff was able to stifle the bats for the
inning, and for the rest of the game as well.
Keene would respond in the bottom of the 6th, pushing three runs across the plate to take a
lead that they would not relinquish. They would put up another two in the top of the 7th, but it
would be the 8th inning where Keene would land the knockout punch. With the bases loaded,
Jackson Marshall (UConn) would blast a long home run to dead away center field to make the
score 9-1. They would add another later in the inning on a wild pitch, making the score 10-1,
which would end up being the final score.
Despite the loss, it was still a good night for many members of the North Adams squad. Starter
David Johnson (Portal) looked dominant in his four innings of work, allowing only one hit and
three walks while striking out three. This was the latest in a string of good outings for Johnson,
who lowered his season ERA all the way down to 1.00 with the outing. Richie Kerstetter (Portal)
also continued his streak of good performances, throwing a shutout inning in his first outing
since his four innings of brilliance against Upper Valley a few nights ago.
The bats also looked much better than the scoreline showed, continuing to hit the ball hard,
work good counts, and threaten with baserunners all night long. Even when the score started to
get lopsided, they continued to have a good approach and made a talented group of Keene
pitchers work for every out they were able to get.
Next up for the SteepleCats is a return to Alumni Field in Keene for another matchup with the
SwampBats, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. They then travel to Holyoke to take on the
Valley Blue Sox, with first pitch at Mackenzie Stadium set for 6:30 p.m.