Attleboro High Baseball Loses to Mansfield

Hornets defeat Attleboro 9-6 on Wednesday, during a game totally unlike the previous win against Oliver Ames. While that game was dependent on pitching, this game was all about hitting.

Attleboro started it off early with a run in the top of the first, and was threatening to expand the lead with a hard hitting grounder to Mansfield shortstop Andrew Bukuras from Attleboro Senior Adam Woodhead with two runners in scoring position. Bukuras managed to field the ball and throw out Woodhead to end the inning and stem any more early scoring.

David Eberhart started the bottom of the first off with a double to deep center. Eberhart was then brought home by a single from Steve Nagle, who in turn was brought home by Nick Carafa. Attleboro managed to end the inning with a 6-4-3 double play, and repeated the feat in the bottom of the second inning, to hold the Hornets at 2-1.

Mansfield fired back with a double play of their own, when Carafa caught a line drive and threw out Attleboro runner  Peter Cassidy, who could not get back to first in time.

The hornets started to rally at the bottom of the third, with three more runs in the inning. Eberhart, Nagle and Alex DeSimone all had RBIs this inning. Attleboro fired back in the next inning, with consecutive doubles from  Jon Sousa and Woodhead. Max Lancaster then hit a single to bring in another run, and was then brought in by a double hit by Keith Drucker. Attleboro was then threatening with bases loaded and the score at 5-4 Mansfield, but two hitters flied out in the outfield to end the inning.

Nagle and DeSimone both had an RBI each in the next inning, and Nick Carafa also brought in a run with a sacrificial fly ball, expanding Mansfield's lead to 8-4.  Attleboro tried to retaliate but could only bring in two more runs, from Zarchary George and Sousa.

Adam Blake got Mansfield one more run in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrificial fly ball.All told, Attleboro had more hits, but was unable to follow through on them.

"They had a few more key hits than us," said Attleboro Head Coach Matt Bosh. "My kid just told me we had 16 hits; usually that means you're going to win."

Mansfield's strategy involved changing their pitchers. They had three pitchers during the game, starting off with Tom Brady, middling with Craig Mallet and finishing in the seventh with Adam Blake.

"This was an ugly game," said Mansfield Head Coach Tim Graham. "The good part is that we came to swing the bats, the bad part was that we didn't throw the pitches we needed to, we didn't make the plays we needed to; we just weren'tmentally where we needed to be. We were lucky to get away with a win with this one, but we'll come back strong tomorrow against Franklin."