Miner, EG no-hit Pats, run losing streak to four

Posted 4/24/14

The Pilgrim baseball team has had two glaring issues so far this season. The Pats haven’t hit the ball particularly well, and they’ve routinely gotten off to bad starts.

On Tuesday, …

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Miner, EG no-hit Pats, run losing streak to four

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The Pilgrim baseball team has had two glaring issues so far this season. The Pats haven’t hit the ball particularly well, and they’ve routinely gotten off to bad starts.

On Tuesday, Pilgrim’s struggles were highlighted more so than at any point thus far. East Greenwich grabbed six runs in the top of the first against starter Stephen Noti, and the Pats were no-hit by EG’s Andrew Miner and two other pitchers in an 8-0 loss.

“Before today’s game, 60 percent of the runs we’ve given up have been in the first inning,” said Pilgrim head coach Scott Bailey. “It’s been about trying to climb out, but our sticks have been so quiet.”

The Pats dropped their fourth consecutive game after a 2-1 start. At 2-5 in Division I, they’re in eighth place in the 10-team D-I-South. The Avengers improved to 5-2.

All of the Pats’ losses during the streak have been to traditionally strong teams – North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Moses Brown and then East Greenwich – yet they’ve still been rough. Pilgrim scored three runs combined in the four games and was shutout twice.

Its season high in runs so far is four.

“We’re playing good teams, but we were playing some good baseball too,” Bailey said. “But we’re just quiet with the bats now.”

The bats were quietest on Tuesday. Miner retired the first 12 men he faced, bringing a perfect game into the fifth inning before Pilgrim’s Anthony Russo grounded a chopper to shortstop that was mishandled. The play was ruled an error, and Miner calmly retired the next three men he faced.

“He wasn’t overpowering, but he was hitting his spots,” Bailey said. “He didn’t walk anybody, and he threw strikes. That’s what you do.”

Russo was the only Pilgrim batter to reach base the whole game. In the sixth, EG’s Brian Gemma came on in relief and set down the side in order. Brandon Paiva almost broke up the no-hitter with two outs when he hit a line drive that looked ticketed for the gap in right-center, but right-fielder Michael Massella ran it down and caught it at his shoe tops to keep the Pats hitless.

The next inning, Peter Goretoy took the mound and set Pilgrim down 1-2-3, striking out the final two men. Pilgrim struck out eight times in the game and only hit two balls out of the infield.

“The kids are frustrated,” Bailey said. “But it is what it is. We just have to keep working at it. Luckily, it’s still the first half of the season. If you’re going to struggle, struggle now.”

The Avengers also hit the ball well, getting to Noti for six in the first thanks to five hits, two walks and a hit batter. EG sent 11 men to the plate, putting the Pats in a 6-0 hole before they ever came to bat.

Goretoy started the game with a double, Ross Dean walked and consecutive singles from Nolan Cooney and Michael DeFusco made it 2-0. A pair of fielder’s choices brought home the game’s third and fourth runs and a two-run single by Goretoy – his second hit of the inning – rounded out the scoring.

“He’s throwing well, it’s just the first inning,” Bailey said of Noti.

In the second, Noti gave up consecutive singles to Cooney and DeFusco to open the frame, and Cooney scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Matus.

Noti worked a scoreless third before exiting the game for Dan Reph in the fourth. Reph loaded the bases thanks to a hit, a walk and an error and he forced in EG’s eighth run with a walk to Miner.

Reph did battle out of jams in the fifth and sixth innings to keep the 10-run mercy rule from coming in to play, and Darren Grant threw a scoreless seventh inning. EG finished with nine hits.

“We’ll just keep working at it,” Bailey said.

The Pats decided to not hold practice on Wednesday, giving the team a day away from baseball to try to regroup and come back strong as the season nears the halfway point. Their next game is today at home against 3-4 Middletown at 3:45 p.m.

“We’re giving them 24-hour leave,” Bailey said. “They’re mentally tired. They’re beat up. They’re frustrated. They need a break for a day.”

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