SUNAPEE- After getting out to an early 9-1 lead, Claremont did what it needed to escape Sunapee with their third win of the summer, winning 11-6 after a late Laker push.
In the first inning, Claremont’s Ty Theriault got the scoring started with an RBI-triple to the left-center gap, scoring Gabe Miller on the hit. Jarrett Lapointe slapped an RBI-single in the next at-bat to give Claremont a quick 2-0 lead. They added on another two runs in the second inning, as Zack Bundy scored on a passed ball and Eric Peaslee scored on an errant throw.
Sunapee’s Garrett Rumrill scored a run singled-handedly in the bottom of the second by walking, stealing second and third, and then scoring from third on a passed-ball.
Claremont scored five runs in the top of the third inning and started to run away with the ballgame. In the inning, Sunapee’s Drew Clifford replaced Rumrill on the mound. On offense for Claremont in the third, Ethan Belvin knocked in Lapointe with a single to center, Mike Gaspar scored on a passed ball, Matt Becker had an RBI infield-single, Peaslee contributed an RBI sac-fly, and Sean Adams picked up an RBI-single on a shallow blooper to right.
Sunapee added another tally to their run total in the bottom-half of the third, as Hunter Morse hit an RBI-single through the left side of the infield that scored David Jimenez.
In the bottom of the fourth, Bundy came on to relieve Lapointe for Claremont, and struck out two while allowing just one baserunner due to a fielding error in the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Claremont committed another error, and this time it was costly. With two outs and runners on second and third, Sunapee’s Phil Ritzman hit a pop-fly to right, which was misplayed, and the two runs came around to score. The Lakers cut the Cardinal-lead to 9-4.
Claremont added their last two runs in the sixth, as Lapointe picked up his second RBI, on a single up the middle, and Bundy had an RBI-groundout.
In the bottom of the seventh, Sunapee tried to make their final push, but came up short. With one out, Clifford hit a 2-RBI double to the gap in deep left-center to bring the game to 11-6. But, after a strikeout, a hit-by-pitch and a flyout, the game ended.
For Claremont, Theriault had two triples on the day, with the second one travelling to the left-field fence on the bounce. Theriault also scored twice. Gaspar was 2-3 with a run scored. Bundy and Lapointe each scored twice. Miller walked four times and scored a run and Ethan Belvin had a single, three walks, and a run.
Claremont’s young team, which has many incoming freshman in a 16U, Fall Mountain Babe Ruth League, showed another glimpse of potential, improving their record to 3-6 this summer.
For Sunapee, Morse was 1-2 with two runs scored. Jimenez also scored twice on the day. Clifford had a double, a walk, a run, and 2 RBIs.
On Wednesday, July 11, both teams are back in action, with Claremont heading to Ludlow and Sunapee traveling to Springfield. Both games are scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
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