Wizards deal ’Canes first loss of season

Matt Metcalf
Posted 5/19/15

You can’t win them all, right?

But the Warwick Vets baseball team came pretty close.

The ’Canes came into Friday night’s game against West Warwick with a perfect 13-0 record with just …

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Wizards deal ’Canes first loss of season

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You can’t win them all, right?

But the Warwick Vets baseball team came pretty close.

The ’Canes came into Friday night’s game against West Warwick with a perfect 13-0 record with just five games left on their league schedule.

No team has been able to solve Vets this season – that is until Friday.

The Wizards stifled the ’Canes, 3-0, at McCarthy Field behind a complete game gem from southpaw Thomas Doran, who allowed just four hits, struck out seven and didn’t yield a walk over seven innings of work.

Doran was around the zone all night, but Vets never looked comfortable against the crafty lefty.

Vets’ head coach Nolan Landy believed that it was only a matter of time before his team’s shaky at-bats caught up to them, as the ’Canes have been struggling at the dish as of late.

“That kid pitched good,” Landy said. “He was ahead of every hitter – I don’t know if he went 3-2 to two hitters. He kept us off balance and this week has been one of those weeks where we just haven’t been hitting the ball. I told these guys that you’re not going to go undefeated. This is baseball and you can’t win every game.”

It looked like it was bound to be the Wizards’ night from the start.

Doran retired the first 11 batters that he faced, so when West Warwick’s lineup was able to manufacture a run in the bottom of the second, it seemed like it may be enough – and it turned out that it was.

With two outs in the innings, Chris Gaipo drove a David Simmons pitch to the right field fence for a triple. Matt Hopper then followed with a single, scoring Gaipo and giving the Wizards a 1-0 lead.

However, Simmons would settle in and throw up zeroes for the next two innings.

But over those two innings, Vets still couldn’t solve Doran offensively. Vets’ Jeremy Batista singled for his team’s first hit with two outs in the fourth, but Doran was able to escape the miniature jam without a sweat.

That allowed West Warwick to tack on to its lead in the bottom half of the fifth.

Hopper led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Mike Pellerin.

Matt Grenier then hit a chopper in no man’s land between Simmons and Austin Lamaire at third base. After both hesitated, Simmons picked up the ball and rushed the throw over to first, throwing it wildly past first and into the outfield. The unearned run allowed West Warwick to up its lead to 2-0.

If two runs felt like a tough feat to overcome, the Wizards made it that much tougher for Vets in the sixth.

The Wizards manufactured a run on a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt. Tyler Boisclair brought Evan Barrera home from second with one out to make it 3-0.

The three runs felt like much more against Doran.

Tyler Dipetrillo laced a two-out single in the seventh, but Doran was able to buckle down and finish the game with a shutout.

With the loss, the ’Canes dropped to 13-1 on the season in Division II, but they are still in good shape as they remain atop the division standings.

Dipetrillo had two of Vets’ four hits, while Batista and Adam Dorsey had a hit apiece.

Simmons pitched well overall, tossing six innings, while allowing two earned runs, six hits and striking out six.

West Warwick improved to 10-5 with the win.

Vets played at Classical on Monday, but results were unavailable at press time. It will host the Purple today at 3:30 p.m.

The loss may not be the worst thing for the ’Canes. As long as it isn’t a playoff loss, it could be a good learning experience for the previously perfect ’Canes.

Now, Landy will really see what his team is made of.

“I’m actually not too upset that we lost – the kids get excited about it – but it’s a humbling experience for us,” Landy said. “I told them to let it burn tonight, but in baseball you have to have a short memory, and you’ll see (West Warwick) again. Save that fire and bring it next time you play them.”

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