Sanford’s Drew DeMartino runs out a ground ball in the fourth inning of the Mainer’s game against North Adams. The SteepleCats powered their way to a 9-3 win at Goodall Park in Sanford. (JOURNAL TRIBUNE/Sam Bonsey)
SANFORD — With the Mainers sitting 6.5 games back of a playoff spot with 12 games to play, Sanford’s mantra has been “one game at a time.”
But, after a 9-3 loss to the North Adams SteepleCats Wednesday night at Goodall Park in Sanford, time is starting to run out.
Matthew Koperniak homered and hit a two-run double in the first inning, Shane Muntz added a solo shot in the eighth and the Steeplecats downed the Mainers in an NECBL game.
“We just have to take it day-by-day,” said Mainers relief pitcher Rhett Gay. “That’s all you can do right now … Just try to do your best.”
Gay came in for starter Brennan Oxford in the third, and pitched 5 ⅔ innings, allowing three runs while striking out four.
“We’re already down, so I was throw strikes and let them hit,” Gay said. “We just have to take it one game at a time, that’s all you can do.”
Mason Ronan allowed one run on three hits and six walks while striking out seven to earn his second win of the season for North Adams (19-11).
Oxford ran into immediate trouble in the first. After a four-pitch walk to lead-off hitter Andrew Pedone, Brian Picone drilled a double to left center to put runners on second and third. Koperniak followed with his double, then later scored on a single from Shane Muntz to make it 3-0.
North Adams extended its lead to 5-0 in the third. With one out, Joseph Porricelli singled in Muntz off Oxford. Gay replaced Oxford, and, after he got Tre Kirklin to fly out on the first pitch, he let up an RBI single to Pedone to extend Upper Valley’s lead.
Sanford (12-20) threatened in the fourth.
Nick Howie led things off with a single, then took second on a wild pitch from Ronan with Connor Tate at the plate.
On the next pitch, Tate singled up the middle to score Howie and make it 5-1. Walks to Erik Stock and Orlando Adams, sandwiched in between an Elliot Curtis ground out, loaded the bases for Sanford with one out to put the tying run at the plate. But Ronan dug down, and struck out Reece Armitage and Sterling Hayes to end the threat.
The SteepleCats tacked on two more runs in the fifth on back-to-back RBI doubles from Porricelli and Kirklin before Koperniak’s opposite field blast to right field in the eight to make it 8-1. Muntz added his homer in the ninth to extend the North Adams’ lead.
Shane Marshall hit a two-run single in the ninth for Sanford to make it 9-3. Marshall added an infield single in the first to extend his hit streak to seven games. Marshall has hit .467 (14-for-30) in that span with two home runs, two doubles and nine RBIs to raise his season average from .267 to .310.
“I’m just keeping my hands close to my body and not trying to hit home runs,” Marshall said of his recent surge. “I’m just trying to put the ball in play.”
UP NEXT
Sanford heads to Hartford, Connecticut, to face the Upper Valley Nighthawks (19-12) at Maxfield Sports Complex tonight.
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