Nighthawks Fall To SteepleCats in Afternoon Affair
The 4-1 win was just the SteepleCats second victory of the season.
By Thaddeus Sawyer
For just the second time this season, the North Adams SteepleCats found themselves in the win column on Sunday.
In a contest where neither team scored after the third inning, the SteepleCats (2-12) put up three runs in the bottom of that frame to defeat the Nighthawks (7-7-1), 4-1.
The SteepleCats got off to a quick start after center fielder Chris Diaz doubled to lead off the first inning and stole third before coming around to score on a hard groundout to second by designated hitter Bobby Stang.
The Nighthawks, however, would get that run back at the top of the third. Frank Kelly, Upper Valley’s hottest hitter, drove a fly ball towards the wall in left. Left fielder Evan Meier appeared to have a beat on the ball but eventually ran out of room, crashing into the wall as the drive snuck over the fence for a wall-scraping solo shot.
“[North Adams starter Niklas Pavia] was heater-heavy, obviously,” Kelly said. “He was blowing some guys by, so I was just trying to be early. It was a 2-0 count. Saw the heater and just took a hack on it.”
The long ball was Upper Valley’s third of the year, tied for fewest in the league, and Kelly’s first.
The home run was the lone damage against Pavia, who completed six innings for a quality start and earned the win.
The SteepleCats responded to Kelly’s home run in the bottom of the frame with three runs of their own. After Meier was hit by a pitch to load the bases, a mound visit did little to calm Nighthawks starter Karl Ralamb. The right-hander proceeded to hit the next batter, shortstop Sebastian Rhoades, in the back to force in a run.
In the next at-bat, an eight-pitch battle with third baseman Jake Butler resulted in a hard-hit single smacked back up the middle and off second base to score two more runs and end the scoring on the day for both teams.
Ralamb finished with four earned runs allowed across three innings in his first start of the summer.
While its effort wasn’t displayed in the final score, the Nighthawks’ bullpen performed admirably in five innings of scoreless work. Micah Wells saw the bulk of the action, spinning 3 1/3 shutout innings as the first man out of the bullpen.
Mason Phillips also recorded his first scoreless outing of the summer, striking out both batters he faced. Eric Santaella made his relief debut for the season after starting his first two outings.
Catcher Nick Quagliato nearly got a rally started in the ninth by lasering a one-out double to the wall in left, but the Nighthawks struck out twice in consecutive at-bats to end the threat and the game.
On the day, center fielder Alex Kelsey led the offense by going 3-for-4, while second baseman Jake Bell also posted a multi-hit performance.
Kelsey also stole a base.
After missing an opportunity against the team with the league’s worst record, the Nighthawks will get another chance on Monday against the team sitting second-to-last in the playoff race.
The Danbury Westerners (5-9) will visit the Maxfield Sports Complex as the Nighthawks look to recapture a winning record.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will stream live on ESPN+.