Mepham Pirates Fall Short to Baldwin Bruins, 11-3

Coming into the game Mepham was 1-2 and needed a strong showing in order to fight off Baldwin. Coach Bill Murphy said they needed to play hard and get some hitting and "hopefully things will go our way."

The first inning would prove to be a difficult one for starting pitcher Matt Dato, who gave up a first pitch single. Dato did not give in and battled back to get the next player out and only yielded one run after a double steal by the Bruins. Left fielder Jay D'Auria made an amazing inning ending throw from the outfield to home plate to help Mepham.

Matt Dato came out strong in the second inning, only three batters would see the plate that inning and with the help from his infield was able to sit them down in a row. In the bottom of the second inning DH Tom DeLuca had a single and stolen base but was left on base.

The third inning saw a collapse on the Mepham side, with three runs scored, one single just wide of diving third baseman Tom Pisano. Down 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Steve Luczaj hit a ground rule double which breathed life back into Mepham, bringing them within three.

Unfortunately for the home team, they wouldn't be able to overcome their deficit, scoring two more runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Mepham did have some highlights, with strong defensive plays by third basemen Tom Pasano diving and throwing out numerous players and a keen eye by all players that led to over eight walks in the game. 

Although Mepham was down 11-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, they kept there heads up. Reliever Greg Mannix came in and lit the side up by striking out a player and help from the infield to end the game. The end score of 11-3 does not reflect the heart that Mepham held onto the whole game.

"We need to hit the ball with guys in scoring position," Murphy said. "We need to relax, not press and it will all be all right." 

Mepham takes on inter-district rivals, Calhoun today at 4:30 p.m.