Trojans Fall After Bad Inning

Behind a strong outing by pitcher Joe Martini, the Arlington Trojans battled the three-time defending Intercity League champion Lexington Blue Sox Friday night at Summer Street Field to a 1-1 tie through five innings.

However, with Martini on a pitch count, Trojans coach Joe Hart had to go to his bullpen in the sixth, and that's when Arlington lost control of the game, literally.

Reliever Connor Bishop walked three batters and hit another, and Lexington (10-3) made him pay, scoring four runs to take a 5-1 lead and the game.

In all, four of Lexington's five runs were scored by runners put on by walks. Hart said it's been a reoccurring problem for his team, which averages six walks per game, but, overall, he was pleased with his team's performance against the league power.

"Going into the season, I had no expectations of beating them, just wanted to be competitive," he said, "and, tonight, we gave them a game until the sixth inning."

Arlington (4-11), in its inaugural season, actually had the tying run at bat twice in the bottom of the seventh inning, in shortstop Morgan Brown and cleanup hitter Greg Wilson, but Lexington's hard-throwing closer, Jesse Santos, was able to get out of both bases-loaded jams to end the game.

Martini, an Arlington High graduate who pitches for Assumption College, gave up a run in the first inning off a ground-rule double after walking two batters. He only gave up four singles over the next four innings by keeping hitters off-balance with his off-speed stuff.

"He's got great command of his breaking ball," Hart said.

Arlington bounced back to tie the game in the bottom of the first. After lead-off man Mike Griffin and Brown reached on walks, first baseman Kevin Hart got Griffin home on a two-out single up the middle.

The Trojans loaded the bases with one out in the fifth inning, but it was short lived, as center fielder Derek Migrants grounded into a double play.

Wilson, Hart and second baseman Ryan Walsh all had multi-hit games for the Trojans.

Lexington got the bulk of its runs in the sixth off a three RBI pinch-hit single by Dan Capra. After Bishop hit the next batter, he was pulled for Blake Yee, who finished the game for the Trojans.

Sam Finn picked up the win for Lexington in six innings of work.

Arlington will return to action at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Wakefield Merchants' Walsh Field.