Nighthawks Blank Blue Sox For Second Shutout in a Week

By Thaddeus Sawyer

After taking their first shutout loss of the season on Sunday, the Nighthawks bounced back Monday night by pitching one of their own.

Four Nighthawks pitchers combined to blank the Valley Blue Sox (8-10-1), 3-0, to snap a season-high two-game losing streak for Upper Valley (10-9-1) and move back over .500.

“I'm not arrogant to say I expected it, but I'm not surprised because I think there's a lot of talent in that bullpen as well as the starters,” Nighthawks Manager Chase Allen said.

The Nighthawks bullpen provided six scoreless innings of relief for the second time this week after also doing so in the 8-0 shutout over the North Shore Navigators last Wednesday. 

That came after Bellarmine pitcher Karl Ralamb tossed three scoreless innings of his own in his second start of the summer. After allowing four earned runs in three innings on June 21 against the North Adams SteepleCats, the right-hander overcame command issues by leaning on his slider to strand seven runners on base.

Ralamb, who spent time in the bullpen earlier in June, said he had full confidence in the arms that came in behind him.

“I have full trust,” Ralamb said. “
I love the bullpen. Everyone down there is really good.”

That trio of relievers did not disappoint, as Vincent Luther and Charlie Jones combined for five innings of work while Julian Rondon locked down the ninth for his third save of the season.

The four pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts.

Jones said that the coaching staff has done a great job of putting together plans and stacking relievers whose arsenals complement one another, adding that the back-end arms have executed all season.

“Having me go after a guy like [Luther] and then [Rondon], you're seeing a lot of high velo up [in the zone],” Jones said.

Jones, who was awarded Player of the Game after tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings and striking out four, said that he has been working on adding ride to his fastball to generate more swings and misses and allow his curveball to play up.

“I just feel like I'm very confident right now on that mound, more so than I have been in a while, which has been fantastic,” Jones said.

Luther also struck out four batters, retiring eight of the 10 hitters he faced in 2 2/3 innings. The left-hander will finish June with 8 1/3 scoreless innings and 11 punchouts under his belt.

Rondon ran into some trouble in the ninth, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a single. However, the moment didn’t get the best of the closer, as the new Liberty University commit struck out second baseman Jack Myers and first baseman Chris Carson to send the Blue Sox home.

Though the Nighthawks were finished scoring by the end of the second inning, the three early runs held up until the end. 

In the first inning, center fielder Willie Hurt drove in the Nighthawks’ first run in 12 innings with a sacrifice fly into center, scoring left fielder Cam Boardman from third.

In his outfield debut, Boardman, a natural catcher, drove in two runs in the second after sending a hard bouncer down the first base line and off the glove of Carson at first base into right field.

Though the play was ruled an error, Boardman collected two RBIs all the same to extend the Nighthawks’ lead by two.

The error was Carson’s first on 65 total chances this summer.

Shortstop Frank Kelly reached base three times, scoring in the second on Boardman’s hard hit ball and leading the Nighthawks with two hits. The speedster also swiped second in the first to pull within one of the league lead with 13 but was thrown out attempting for third later in the frame.

Boardman and Hurt also swiped a bag. Second baseman Tim Dickinson was responsible for the Nighthawks’ only extra-base hit of the contest, a fourth inning double into right.

Dickinson also made an impressive running catch, ranging into right field to take away a single from Myers and end the seventh inning.

Levi Jones added a diving catch in right field, while Kelly saved a run in the second by snagging a hard hopper off the bat of center fielder Gabriel Cavazzoni just before it could leave the infield.

The Upper Valley defense played error-free baseball for the first time in three games.

The Nighthawks are now 9-1 in contests in which they do not allow an earned run.

“The bounce back from yesterday to today is all on the guys," Allen said. “They knew that yesterday was not good enough, definitely the worst game that we've played. I told them it doesn't come down to the wins and losses, it comes down to how you go about your business and the effort and focus and energy that you give. This group, I've said it from the beginning, it's a special group. ... Today they showed more of who they were and what they’re capable of.”

The Nighthawks will be back at home Tuesday night against some more South Division competition, hosting the Newport Gulls at 6 p.m. The game will stream live on NECBL+.