Sanford catcher Orlando Adams hits a solo home run in the sixth inning of the Mainers tilt against the North Adams SteepleCats. North Adams beat Sanford, 5-1.
SANFORD — North Adams starting pitcher Gordon Graceffo said the key to his strong start against the Mainers was setting up his breaking pitches by establishing his fastball inside on batters early in the count.
The strategy appeared to work as Graceffo struck out eight over five plus innings and Sam Punzi hit a two-run double in the third to lead the SteepleCats to a 5-1 win over the Mainers in a NECBL baseball game at Goodall Park in Sanford on Friday night.
The right-hander scattered six hits and didn’t walk a batter in an 81-pitch effort. His only blemish came on the final batter he faced when Orlando Adams hit a solo home run to lead of the sixth inning for the Mainers’ only run. Even though Graceffo was stellar in victory, he was quick to point to the SteepleCat offense as the catalyst to his performance.
“It’s always great to start out with a lead when you’re pitching,” Graceffo said. “I thought the guys put in a lot of great at-bats today.”
North Adams (5-1) got to Sanford starter Darren Williams in the first. Left fielder Tanner Thomas hit a stand-up triple to drive in Joseph Porricelli, who led off the game with an infield single. Thomas then scored on a sacrifice fly from Brian Picone to make it 2-0. Despite falling into early trouble, Sanford coach CJ Suarez praised his starter for battling through adversity.
“(Williams) gutted it out tonight,” said Suarez. “He didn’t have his best stuff tonight, but (gutting it out) is what you need from your best arm.”
North Adams starter Gordon Graceffo struck out eight over five innings to lead the SteepleCats to a 5-1 win over Sanford Friday night.
The SteepleCats struck again in the third on Punzi’s two-run double to right center to push the lead to 4-0. Graceffo kept cruising along until the sixth when Adams hit a towering solo home run to left field to make it 4-1. Right-hander Jacob Abbott came in to replace Graceffo and retired the next three hitters to stop any kind of momentum for Sanford.
The Mainers (2-4) had a chance to cut into the lead in the seventh. With two outs and Shane Marshall at first, Drew DeMartino lofted a fly ball deep into right field.
Right fielder Tre Kirklin tried to make a diving catch, but mistimed his leap and the ball got away. Marshall aggressively rounded third, and North Adams quickly relayed the ball and caught Marshall in rundown, then tagged him out to end the frame. The SteepleCats added a run in the ninth when Porricelli drove in Andrew Pedone with a single to left.
Williams finished the night going five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out one, while Marshall and DeMartino each added two hits for the Mainers.
“I thought we bounced back from that start (of the game),” Saurez said. “Our defense played well towards the end of the game. We just need to put nine innings together and we’ll be alright.”
Despite falling to 2-4 on the season, Suarez has already seen growth in his players, and he said that if his team can get a lead when handing the ball to his bullpen, the Mainers will start racking up wins.
“Our effort is there,” he said. “We have a great group of kids, the culture is great. They love playing in Sanford.”
UP NEXT
The Mainers head to New Bedford, Massachusetts to face the Bay Sox (0-6) Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Paul Walsh Field.
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