Kris Giangreco striking out Ryan Frontera to end the game. Timothy Charvat, 2024
Tension was in the air in Little Falls, New York last night. After losing in heartbreaking fashion to long-time rivals Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs in their home opener 8-7, the Utica Blue Sox were looking to return the favor for their first road game of the season.
And in an 8-3 victory over their rival, the Blue Sox proved that they will be a team to watch in the 2024 Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL).
Setting The Tone Early
The tone was set in the very first inning. Extra hitter Benny Partridge would lead off the game with a single. He would steal his first base of the season, and after second baseman Wyatt Hunt walked, designated hitter Matthew Williams would drive in the first run of the game for the Sox on an RBI single to begin the scoring for the second straight game.
Two batters later, after a pass ball by Diamond Dawgs starter Austin Barnao to increase the lead to 2-0, third baseman Max French would connect for his first home run of the season, a two-run bomb over the leftfield wall, to increase the lead to 4-0.
In the next at bat, leftfielder Nick OConnor would connect for a triple with still one out in the inning. Seven pitches later, first baseman Trace Hartman would connect for the second two run homer of the inning.
Trace Hartman two-run homer swing. Timothy Charvat, 2024
This would cap off a six-run inning, with all ten batters coming to the plate for the Blue Sox to take a commanding 6-0 lead.
King Dazzles in Debut
Starting pitcher Ryan King would have the best pitching performance of the season for the Blue Sox thus far. After letting two of the first three batters reach base, King would strike out first baseman Jason Campo and second baseman Justin Hurd swinging to end the threat.
He would also strikeout the side in the second inning, which ended King’s night with two innings pitched, and five straight strikeouts.
Dawgs Fight Back
It wasn’t until the bottom of the third where the Diamond Dawgs would show signs of life. After Ryan Carrol replaced King, the Dawgs would catch a break with a single by centerfielder Brody Rasmussen, and advancing to second after a fielder error by OConnor.
This would allow Dawgs left fielder Bryce Phillips to double down the left field line to bring Rasmussen home to cut the lead down to five.
The lead would later be cut down to 6-2 two into the fourth inning, with Hurd for the Diamond Dawgs first home run of the season.
Blue Sox Respond
The waves of momentum quickly turned to the side of the Blue Sox, as in the top of the fifth inning, OConnor would connect on an RBI single off relief pitcher Keegan Burke to increase the lead to 7-2.
In the sixth inning, Keegan would allow right fielder Damian Witty to reach on a single, and with one out, shortstop Gabe Cavazzoni would connect for another RBI single to put the game out of reach for the Diamond Dawgs 8-2.
Never Make it Easy
The Dawgs would not go down without a fight, however, as they would load the bases in the final three innings of play. Unfortunately, they would only collect one run for all the traffic on the bases, as shortstop Christion Tufano would collect an RBI single with one out in the eighth inning to cut the deficit down to 8-3.
Blue Sox pitching, however, would keep the Diamond Dawgs at bay, as Kris Giangreco would get the final five outs to seal the first win of the season for the Blue Sox.
Notable Performances/Stats
Despite a rocky outing by Barnao, the Dawgs relief combo of Burke, Gavin Miller, and Bryan Rios would pitch a combined eight innings, two runs allowed (one earned), and strike out ten batters to keep the team competitive.
Blue Sox pitchers would strike out a combined fourteen batters and leave fourteen baserunners stranded. Ten of those baserunners were across the final four innings of play.
The Blue Sox have now hit three home runs over the span of the course of the first two games, which is the most home runs to start a season for the team since being revived as the Sox in 2016.
What’s Next
The Blue Sox will be back on the road on Monday June 3, as they travel to Boonville to face the Lumberjacks. The first pitch is at 6:45 p.m.
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