HOLYOKE, MA–The Valley Blue Sox will hit the road for the first time this season, starting a two-game trip with a battle against their original opening night opponent, the Vermont Mountaineers, in what is now the first of six meetings between the two North Division rivals.
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LAST TIME THEY MET: The Blue Sox swept last season’s series-concluding doubleheader on August 1, 6-1 and 5-1, with the Mountaineers considered the home team for the first game although both were played at Mackenzie Stadium. In the first contest, first baseman Sal Annunziata opened the scoring in the second inning by doubling, stealing third, and coming home on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Justin Morhardt; he would double and score again in a two-run fourth and drove in a run with a sacrifice of his own in a three-run fifth. In the second game, the teams were scoreless until the fifth, when Annunziata singled, Morhardt walked, and right fielder Vahn Bozoian drove them in with a double; the team added three in the sixth and ultimately held on for a 5-1 win.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Since the Blue Sox moved to Mackenzie Stadium in 2008, the team is 20-17 against the Mountaineers, but has a 7-11 mark away from home in six prior seasons. The teams split last season’s series 3-3, with the home team going 2-1 in both cases, and the Mountaineers won the first three matchups while the Blue Sox took the last three.
PITCHING PROBABLES: The Blue Sox will send out Anthony Elia to start against the Mountaineers. Elia was a Second-Team All-Big East pitcher this season as a junior with the Seton Hall Pirates, and in 13 starts out of 16 appearances, the lefty put together a 4-3 record with a 2.77 ERA in 74.2 IP, striking out 48 and walking 21. Against him, the Mountaineers will throw right-hander Jim McDade. The junior at Millersville was a top-flight Division II pitcher this season, and in 12 appearances, all starts, had a 3.25 ERA in 72.0 IP with 30 strikeouts to 16 walks.
LAST TIME OUT: Down 4-0 after five and a half innings, the Valley Blue Sox pulled themselves off the mat, scoring seven unanswered in a 7-4 win over the rival North Adams SteepleCats in the two squad’s NECBL opener in front of 1,502 fans at Mackenzie Stadium.
After the SteepleCats took a 4-0 lead in the 6th, it was all Blue Sox; center fielder Mendez Elder and shortstop Angelo La Bruna led off with back to back walks, and Elder scored when third baseman Frank Crinella grounded out. Left fielder Bobby Stahel doubled in La Bruna in the next at-bat to make it 4-2 SteepleCats after six, and the team exploded for five in the seventh, as right fielder Michael Gilbert and catcher Justin Morhardt led off with back-to-back singles, and after a sacrifice bunt, Elder roped a double into the gap in left center to plate them both and tie the game.
Crinella brought in the go-ahead run with a grounder that was mishandled by the SteepleCats shortstop, and La Bruna scored on a wild pitch during the next at bat. First baseman Tre Sikes drove Crinella home with a single to complete the five run frame where the team batted around. From there, Harrison Paige came in to pitch, and the Springfield native had a stellar debut, needing just four pitches to complete the eighth, and fanning a pair in the ninth, including a swinging strikeout to end the game and earn the save.
The Mountaineers also took a win last night, topping the Laconia Muskrats 5-0 at Robbie Mills Field. The Mountaineers took advantage of miscues by the Muskrats in the second to score twice without actually getting a hit, as their batters reached and advanced with two errors, a walk and a wild pitch; a pair of passed balls and a walk with the bases loaded brought in three more in the ninth for the 5-0 final.
WHO’S HOT: For the Blue Sox, Angelo La Bruna walked twice and scored on both occasions last night, Bobby Stahel and Tre Sikes each had two hits and an RBI, and Mendez Elder had four plate appearances and reached on all of them, getting hit once, walking twice, smashing a two-run double, and also scored twice. For the Mountaineers, Alex Caruso walked twice, stole a base, and scored a run, while Jack Parenty had three hits in five at-bats.
GAME-TIME WEATHER FORECAST: Sunny, 72 degrees, winds northwest at 7 MPH, 0% chance of rain.
NEXT UP: The Blue Sox head to the Berkshires to battle North Division and Western Massachusetts rival North Adams before they return to Mackenzie Stadium Tuesday, June 10 against the Laconia Muskrats at 6:35 p.m. for HG&E Night.