Duchesneau leads Pats to third straight win

Matt Metcalf, Sports Editor
Posted 4/28/15

After splitting its first four games to start the season, it seems that the Pilgrim baseball team has found its stride.

The Pats rattled off their third straight win on Friday afternoon, …

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Duchesneau leads Pats to third straight win

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After splitting its first four games to start the season, it seems that the Pilgrim baseball team has found its stride.

The Pats rattled off their third straight win on Friday afternoon, defeating Woonsocket, 5-2, behind a complete-game effort from Chris Duchesneau to move to 5-2 on the season.

The senior right-hander tossed seven innings, while striking out six and allowing just one earned run.

Duchesneau was also able to maneuver around some jams, as Pilgrim’s defense made six errors for the game.

It’s never easy to give a team that many extra outs, but Pilgrim head coach Scott Bailey was pleased with the way that Duchesneau was able to pick the team up even through the mishaps.

“In his two starts so far, he has been a bulldog,” Bailey said of Duchesneau. “He wants the ball in big situations, and he pitched great again today.”

The Pats’ offense was aggressive all game long, taking a discipline approach, but attacking any first-pitch strikes.

As a result, they had success against Woonsocket starter Jaquan Guerrero, plating three in the bottom of the second inning.

Evan Broccoli led off the inning with a walk and came around to score on a single by Matt Woods. Shortstop Tyler Perry then doubled home Woods and David McMullen to give the Pats a 3-0 lead.

But the Novans came back with two runs in the top of the third, one earned, on three hits and two errors.

Miguel Raymond’s single scored Kyle Beaulieu, before Raymond scored on a throwing error after a single from Manuel Ceballos, cutting Woonsocket’s deficit to 3-2.

Ideally, Pilgrim would’ve liked to throw up a zero after a three-run inning, but after Woonsocket’s two-run inning, Duchesneau shut down the Novans the rest of the way.

With Duchesneau dealing, Pilgrim was able to provide some insurance at the dish in the fifth inning, as back-to-back doubles by Anthony Russo and Elijah Dressel each plated a run, making it a 5-2 game.

The Pats racked up nine hits and five walks for the game. After missing an opportunity to score in the first inning with two on and nobody out, they had some timely hits down the stretch that determined the outcome.

“The kids have been swinging the bats well and are learning to make adjustments,” Bailey said. “We’ve faced a lot of good pitching over the past three weeks, but they’ve been working hard and the hitting has been good.”

Perry led the offensive charge, driving in two runs in the win, while getting on base three times with two hits and a walk. Senior second baseman Brandon Paiva also roped two singles en route to a 2-for-4 day.

Now at 5-2, Pilgrim is pleased with where it’s at, but knows that there’s a lot of baseball left to play.

“We’re happy, but it’s a long road,” Bailey said.

Pilgrim will play at St. Ray’s today at 3:30 p.m., before returning home to host North Providence on Thursday and Middletown on Saturday.

“We’ll switch gears into the second half of the season against Middletown on Saturday,” Bailey said. “There’s still a lot of baseball to be played.”

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  • KathyD

    A great game on a cold breezy day!! Play North Providence Thursday at Pilgrim!! Beat St. Ray's today when they were down by 3. Way to go Pilgrim Patriots!!!

    Tuesday, April 28, 2015 Report this