East Hampton's Harrington Throws One-Hitter

Zac Harrington threw a complete game one-hitter to lead visiting East Hampton over Putnam 9-0 on a cool and overcast Thursday.

Harrington is one of the players being counted on to help fill the holes left by the four starters gone from last season’s state championship team. On Wednesday, he did everything but disappoint. The sophomore righthander, making his first varsity start, struck out six, but more importantly, kept the Clippers off the scoreboard until his team blew the game open with a six-run seventh inning.

“He pounded the zone. He threw a lot of strikes,” coach Scott Wosleger said. “[Pitching coach Gregg Johnson] called a good game again as usual. I was happy with him.“

The late run support allowed Harrington to finish what he had started, and he did by pitching a perfect seventh inning to end the game.

Not a moment too soon.

The wind had already stiffened and shortly after the game ended the darkening skies opened up. Hail steadily began to fall. The aging municipal field, which had an oddly appealing 1950s look and feel to it, took on a light shade of white while the pellets gathered on the ground and unsuspecting windshields as well. Such is April baseball in New England. So far this season, the Bellringers have had to deal with strong winds, cool temperatures and now this, but have handled Mother Nature with the same aplomb as they have five other opponents.

It took the Bellringers a few innings to break through against Putnam’s Tyler Genest. In the third inning, Brian Foberg led off with a double. Joe Tuxbury singled Foberg home and Marvin Gorgas walked with one out. Adam Michaud then stepped up and delivered the game’s key hit, a two-run double for a three-run lead.

Genest then settled down, and though not fooling anyone in the East Hampton lineup, did a nice job to get the Clippers into the seventh down only three runs.

Then the roof caved in on Putnam (1-3).

Nate Heroux got things started with a double and Gorgas followed with an RBI single. From there it was a combination of walks, a huge error and a two-run single by Ryan Massie that sealed the victory. East Hampton finished with nine hits.

“At first I was a little shaky out there,” Harrington said. “I couldn’t really hit my spots, but by the third inning or so I was able to settle down and I started hitting my spots and my off-speed starting working. I was just pitching it over, and I have one of the best defenses in the state behind me, so I trust them. I had to just get the ball over the plate.”

Speaking of defense, that was the one area Wosleger was not at all happy about in a 22-3 victory over Hyde on Wednesday, but against Putnam, the Bellringers played error free.

“I am very happy with the way we bounced back defensively today after yesterday,” he said. “Yesterday I was concerned.”

Harrington did not encounter much trouble during the game. The one mini jam he faced came in the fourth when Putnam put runners on first and second with one out. However, with the runner on first straying just enough off the bag after a pitch, catcher Spencer Daly fired the ball down to Massie who applied the tag just in time for the out. Harrington then got out of the inning on a fly ball.

Despite being sick earlier in the week and also pitching two innings against Hyde on Wednesday, Harrington finished strong.

“My arm feels great,” he said.

Said Wosleger: “I was pleasantly surprised because he was sick for a few days there and I thought he might have trouble with his command, but he was really pretty good, and he kept us where we needed to be because we weren’t swinging the bats.”

Beyond Michaud and Gorgas, East Hampton wasn’t sure what they had for pitching heading into the season, but playing three games in four days has helped Wosleger and Johnson see what they have in game situations. Still, Wosleger considers his staff to be evolving.

“I think we’re still working at it,” he said. “I don’t think we know exactly what we have yet but today was definitely a step in the right direction with Zac, and [Matt] Sevigny has looked pretty good in the early season, so we’re happy with that.”

And no doubt happy his team marches on with its winning ways.

East Hampton (5-0), winners in 15 consecutive games dating to last season, has outscored opponents 52-7 this year with two shutouts and two complete games.

The next challenge won't be untill Wednesday, when the Bellringers host Coginchaug, the first of three home games in four days.

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