Cards Take Kirby Cup

By Christopher Shaban
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
WALPOLE- With lawn chairs scattered along the hill, full bleachers, Sweet Caroline blasting away and a perfect night for baseball, it felt like a Cape Cod league game, but this was much, much better. This was the Kirby Cup game between Fall Mountain (FM) and Stevens. One of the best rivalries took place at spectacular Ball-Roentsch Field under the lights on Friday. It came down to the final inning.

This was special not only because of the Kirby Cup but because the Cardinals and Wildcats were battling for playoff seedings as well. Fall Mountain entered the game ranked #7 at 11-4, while the red-hot Cardinals sat just behind at 9-5, winners of seven of their last eight games.

Fall Mountain sent freshman Pat Connors to the bump while Stevens countered with Matt Becker; the stadium was electric. Connors was smooth and in control early, while Becker had a few jitters while the Wildcats base runners were in the midst of swiping six bases in the first four innings alone. It helped spot Fall Mountain to a 3-0 lead.

“Boy I wish we had just one more key hit,” said Wildcats Coach Lance Cormier as FM stranded six runners in the early innings. Mitch Cormier, Max Vogel (playing sick and with an injured knee), and Porter Willett all grabbed RBI’s during the early Wildcat run but left opportunities on the bases as Becker got key outs.

Stevens responded when Dom Puksta drew a walk, reached second on a fielder’s choice, stole third, then trotted home when Maddox Foster ripped a double to deep left field, putting Stevens on the board but trailing 3-1 heading into the 5th inning.

Fall Mountain had a chance to break the game open in its half of the 5th inning, but Becker dug deep once again to get an infield popup to Matt Goss to end the threat, bases full of Wildcats.

The Stevens comeback started when Ty Theriault led off the Cardinal 6th inning with a gigantic home run that cleared the left center field fence and lit a fire under the large Cardinal crowd.

“Yeah I knew it, I watched it all the way until it disappeared,” said the Cardinal senior as the big crowd had that distinct sound of ‘wow’.

M. Cormier came on to pitch for FM, and Puksta greeted him with a sharp single; all the momentum was in the Cardinal dugout. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with Cardinals, but Cormier reared back to set down the next two batters with strikeouts. When Goss found himself down two strikes, the crowd noise was the loudest it had been all night. The Freshman responded with a stinging single that plated Puksta and Cody Pellerin. Stevens grabbed a 4-3 lead.

“I was just looking to make contact and it ended up being the biggest hit of my life,” said Goss after the game.

Stevens sent Pellerin to the mound to finish things up, but Connors had other thoughts as he blasted a double then stole third base. Pellerin registered back-to-back strikeouts, but when a pitch skidded to the backstop, Connors raced home and kicked up a cloud of dust when he dove headfirst across the plate with the game-tying run.

The Cardinals’ 7th inning started harmlessly enough as Cormier quickly set down the first two batters, but Pellerin singled and raced to third after Nevin Marsh’s single. When a balk was called, sending Pellerin across the plate, L. Cormier raced out of the dugout to get an explanation that didn’t change the decision that put Stevens up 5-4.

Pellerin mowed down Fall Mountain in the 7th inning with a deep fly to left and back-to-back strikeouts, improving Stevens to 10-5 and the honor of hoisting the Kirby Cup another time.

“This is the third time I’ve held this and it’s just the best feeling,” said Theriault.

“This is always a great game with Stevens, a very competitive game that was a good character builder game for us as we head into the playoffs,” said L. Cormier.

Stevens had hits from Minckler, Theriault, Puksta, Pellerin, Foster, Marsh, Maddox Foster and Goss. FM was led by Foster Willett, Connors, Cormier, Vogel, P. Willett and Jager Klema.

“This team just never stopped competing. The young players really stepped up huge tonight and the upper classmen were just solid and poised,” said Stevens’ Coach Bill Bundy. “Pitching from both sides was just terrific tonight; Fall Mountain is a really good team, we just never quit tonight.”