It’s all about momentum.
ConVal and Conant were locked in a pitchers’ duel Monday night, with Oriole starter James Record and Cougar starter Matt Davis throwing well, settled in after an opening flurry that saw both teams plate one in the first. But in the bottom of the fourth, the Orioles saw their opportunity – and seized it. Once they did, the floodgates were open.
“Once they got the confidence, they just started rolling,” said Conant head coach Josh Heaphy “[Davis] was pitching well, but once they got a few across, they realized they’d seen him and they could hit him.”
After Shawn Marsh singled, burly first baseman Caleb Donahue smashed a ball down the third base line, too hot for Jacob Swain to handle; it ricocheted off his ankle and squirted away. Ryan Smith came up, looking to advance the runners with a sacrifice bunt, but Davis’s throw to third was high, and the bases were loaded. The next batter, Kyle Dupuis, ripped a ball to short, where Danny Allen fielded it cleanly, but his throw home for the force was high as well, and Conant took a 2-1 lead.
That would be all the Orioles needed, but they piled on some more, as Record helped his own cause with a two-run single and Craig Bilodeau knocked in another. After Finn Redding took over on the mound for Davis, Corbin Sasner walked with the bases loaded to push in one more.
“It really came down to that one inning,” said ConVal head coach Mike Marschok, “mentally and physically. It was a disappointing loss.”
Record was locked in on the mound. After Brandon Carland’s first-inning single knocked in Allen for ConVal’s only run, Record picked Carland off at first and departed the mound with a roar. Record would go six strong, scattering five hits and three walks among his seven strikeouts, mixing in a couple breaking pitches with his hard fastball.
“He’s throwing strikes right now,” Heaphy said. “We can go pretty far with strikes being thrown.”
“I’m just glad to get the W,” Record said. “Big thanks to the teammates for the run support.”
Sasner came in to close out the game, allowing one hit and striking out one in the top of the seventh. He’d also tack on some insurance, mashing a giant base-clearing double that plated three in the bottom of the sixth.
Ryan Smith reached base safely each time he came to the plate for Conant.
Davis went 3.2 innings, allowing six runs (one earned) and striking out three.
Marschok said his team’s focus will be “to refocus,” and concentrate on not making those backbreaking errors going forward.
Conant (3-1) travels to Pelham (1-4) on Friday at 4 p.m. Pelham has been outscored 39-4 in their previous two games combined.
ConVal (3-2) hosts Goffstown (4-1) Friday at 4 p.m. Goffstown has outscored their opponents 40-3 in their past four games.