The SteepleCats dropped their third game in a row on Tuesday, falling to the Mystic Schooners 12-2.

The North Adams bats continued to struggle despite consistently working solid at-bats, especially with runners in scoring position. Time and again, the Schooners pitching staff was able to wriggle their way out of jams, only surrendering two runs in the ninth inning when the

game was already out of reach. It was a similar story for the pitching staff, who pitched much better than their line showed, being burned by some unlucky bounces in the field.

The scoring started early for Mystic, who managed to tack on a run in the first inning when Gabe Natividad (Winthrop) came around to score on a Camden Righi (Connecticut) double, after reaching via a fielder’s choice. North Adams starter Gage Wheaton (Niagara) was able to limit

the damage, stranding a runner in scoring position by inducing a groundout and flyout to end the inning, However, it would be a different story in the second inning, as Mystic sent 10 batters to the plate as part of a five run onslaught that put the ‘Cats on the ropes early.

North Adams was able to induce back-to-back innings in which they faced the minimum number of hitters, but Mystic struck again in the 5th for a two-spot, and would repeat the feat in the 6th and 7th to extend the lead to 12, which would hold until the 9th inning.

In the 9th, back to back walks issued to Nolan Currier (Salem State) and Owen Arias (CCSU) to begin the inning would immediately come back to bite the Schooners, as a double by Parker Camelo (Portal) scored both to cut the deficit to 10. That would be all that the SteepleCats could muster, however, as three straight outs would end the game with a final score of 12-2.

Despite the loss, there were still some positives to take away, especially towards the end of the game. The offense seemed to find a spark late, with at least one baserunner reaching in every inning after the 3rd, and two runs scoring in the 9th as the ‘Cats were rallied on by a crowd that stuck it out even through a tough game. The pitching, too, showed bright spots despite the lopsided score, with James Morr (St. Lawrence), Joe LaPrade (St. Lawrence), and Matt Higgins (Colby) all impressing in their outings.

Next up on the schedule, the ‘Cats travel to Martha’s Vineyard to take on the Sharks with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 at the Shark Tank, before a day off on Thursday.