Terriers go to 6-1 with win

Springfield, which played well the first four innings, came apart in the fifth and sixth as Bellows Falls scored three times on passed balls, once on a wild pitch and once on an error.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20120420/SPORTS02/704209931/

Published April 20, 2012 in the Rutland Herald
Terriers go to 6-1 with win

By POODY WALSH
Herald Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD — Early in the season, Bellows Falls coach Bob Lockerby thought he had a good team even though they were not playing particularly well at the time. As it turned out, Lockerby was certainly right as not only is Bellows Falls a good team, it’s one of the best in Division III. With Thursday’s 10-5 win over Springfield the Terriers are 6-1.

Springfield, which played well the first four innings, came apart in the fifth and sixth as Bellows Falls scored three times on passed balls, once on a wild pitch and once on an error.

“Let’s just say they took advantage of what we gave them, “Springfield coach Larry Partridgesaid.

The early portion of the game gave every indication that this had all the makings of a pitching duel as Springfield’s Jeff Fuller and Bellows Falls’ Matt Marchica were on the mark, allowing just three hits between them in the first three innings. As it turned out, Marchica would never get out of the fourth inning and Fuller was pushed to the 118-pitch limit and was trailing 8-4 when he left in the sixth.

The scratching for runs began in the Bellows Falls third as a walk, a wild pitch, a stolen base and a Jeremy Kilburn single got the Terriers on the board. Then in the fourth they scored three times without benefit of a hit as Fuller lost the plate, walking three.

Those three came around to score, one on a sacrifice fly by Mike Hall and the other two on a passed ball. Mike LaBeau was on third and Ethan Illingworth on second when a low pitch got away from Springfield catcher Cody Vandenburgh. He lost sight of the ball and by the time he was able to track it down, both runners scored.

“I think that kind of demoralized them” Lockerbysaid.

The Terriers tacked on two more runs in the fifth on a two-run single by Zach Rawling and four more in the sixth with walks, wild pitches and passed balls again playing into the scheme and suddenly it was a 10-4 game.

Marchica may have a solid excuse for his short stay. He took a Jake Patoine liner off the leg in the third inning. It was also bad luck for Patoine as the ball ricocheted right to Terrier first baseman Mike Hall. Patoine got some revenge inn the fourth as he had a two-run single in a four-run inning for the Cosmos.Jordan Crowley also had a sacrifice fly.

Mike LeBeau worked in relief of Marchica for Bellows Falls while Matt Muther and Taylor Fontaine followed Fuller to the hill for the Cosmos.

While it turned out to be an easy win for the Terriers, it was not a totally pleasing day for Lockerby.

“We made more mental mistakes today than we have all season,” he said. “We missed signals and we ignored signals. Play like that can cost us down the road.”

Ethan Illingworth, the Terriers 125-pound freshman catcher, had three singles in three trips and scored twice.

Crowley had a run-producing triple for the Cosmos in the sixth.

Bellows Falls will reach the halfway point in the season today when it hosts Mount St. Joseph. Leland and Gray comes to Springfield on Saturday morning.