Unearned run lifts BF in battle of unbeatens
Toolbox
By POODY WALSH Herald Correspondent - Published: July 4, 2009
CHESTER — Bellows Falls scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh to down Chester, 5-4, in a battle for first place in Southern Vermont American Legion baseball Thursday at Paul Adams Field.
Post 37 and Post 67, annually two of the teams that are battling for one of the last playoff spots, went into Thursday night's contest undefeated.
"It's a little different scenario this time around," Bellows Falls coach Bob Lockerby said. "We just want to play with the big boys."
When reminded that his team was one of the big boys, Lockerby just smiled, kicked the sand and said," I hope we're one of the big boys at the end. "
Bellows Falls is 7-0 while Chester lost for the first time this season and is 4-1.
Both teams have games to make up, but Chester faces the biggest hurdle and with four games already rained out, Post 67 will have to find time to play 11 more league games before July 19.
With the scored tied at 4-4 going to the top of the seventh, Quentin Young, who drove in the winning run in Bellows Falls' 12-11 win over Rutland on Sunday, doubled to the left-center gap. Then after two were out and with Reilly Clark at the plate, Young broke for third. The pitch was a little low and a little outside, and Chester catcher John Durgin was a little off-balance when he threw to third. The ball sailed into left field, allowing Young to score.
Chester went down in order in the seventh, but Lockerby made a trip to the mind with the dangerous Jason Albert at the plate with two out. Lockerby said he told pitcher Justin Spaulding that he didn't want to give him a base and to go after him. Albert flew out to center.
"We just kind of sucked up and got it done," Lockerby said. "We had some baserunning blunders and a couple of errors, but we just kept plugging."
Ian Rebhan was the complete-game pitcher for Post 67 on a night that his coach, Eric Anderson, said that Rebhan, "did not have his best stuff. He didn't have command of his breaking ball."
Rebhan threw 131 pitches, giving up nine hits, walking four and striking out six.
However, it wasn't Rebhan's performance that gnawed at Anderson. It was the hitting.
"I thought the players were pressing a lot and not aggressive enough at the plate," he said.
Gabe Pozzi pitched the first four innings for Bellows Falls. He fought his control, walking five and giving up four hits with two strikeouts.
Post 67 did run into some tough luck at the plate as they had four line-drive outs to the BF outfielders.
John Durgin and Jesse Crosier, the first two Chester batters, both hit the ball on the button in the first inning, but both balls ended up in the glove of centerfielder Justin Beebe. Dave O'Neil then ripped a ball off the center field fence for a double, but died there as Pozzi induced a soft fly to right for the third out.
Bellows Falls scratched two runs early in the game. In the first inning, Beebe and Zach Whitcomb singled to put runners on first and third with no outs. Rebhan then got two strikeouts but with Brian Bashaw at the plate, Whitcomb broke for second and Beebe scampered home with the first run on the delayed throw to second.
In the third, Beebe's speed again played a factor as he singled, stole second and scored on an error.
Chester loaded the bases in the second with one out, but failed to score. However, in the third, they got one run back as Rebhan singled home Crosier, who had walked and moved to third on two wild pitches.
Chester tied the game in the fourth on Crosier's double.
Bellows Falls got the lead to 4-2 with a run in the fifth on Chris Marcucci's sacrifice fly and another in the sixth when Zach Peterson singled and eventually scored on a double-play ball.
Chester tied the game in the sixth with the aid of two Bellow Falls errors, a passed ball and Crosier's RBI single.
O'Neill had a three-hit game for Chester and Beebe had three hits for Bellows Falls.
Chester's next league game is Tuesday at Woodstock while Bellows Falls hosts Windsor on Sunday.
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