Font ResizeBELLOWS FALLS -- Roughly two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. The rest is covered by Matt Marchica.
Or so it seemed on Monday night at Hadley Field.
The center fielder used his blazing speed to run down a pair of fly balls and the Bellows Falls defense turned a couple of unconventional double plays during their 4-3 victory over Woodstock-Windsor.
"I think we have good athletes. I think we have nine good players out there every time we take the field," said Post 37 skipper Bob Lockerby, whose team improved to 3-5 overall.
Trailing 2-1, Lockerby’s lads rallied for three runs in the fourth frame to go ahead for good. The highlight was a double by Zach Rawling, who battled back from an 0-2 count by fouling off some tough pitches. With the bases loaded, Tim Rumrill took one for the team to tie the score at 2-2, an RBI groundout by Marchica put Bellows Falls ahead and then Jeremy Kilburn’s infield single made it 4-2.
In the top of the fifth, Doug Avellino walked, swiped second and went home on an error to get Woodstock-Windsor within one run. But Post 37 reliever Rob Litchfield would shut the visitors down the rest of the way.
"We got just enough," said Lockerby when asked about the pitching. Starter Mike LaBeau and Litchfield combined to fan three, walk five and give up four hits.
LaBeau struggled with his control in the first frame and dug his team a 2-0 hole, as Woodstock-Windsor’s
LaBeau then settled down and threw three consecutive scoreless innings. And his team got on the board in the second after stringing together singles by Kirk Perham, Cooper Long and Rumrill.
And the Bellows Falls defense was outstanding all night. Perham made a nice play at the hot corner in the first, Kilburn (1B) wowed the crowd with a scoop in the second, Marchica ran down a fly in the third and fourth, and the hosts had a pair of double plays -- Kilburn caught a foul ball in the third and then doubled up the runner who may have seen a hit-and-run sign, and Long (LF) caught a fly ball in the fifth before firing a strike to Kilburn with the runner well off the bag.
"These games keep you in contention. We’ve gotta win these games," noted Lockerby, who believes that a .500 record in his league might be good enough to earn the fourth spot.
Long had a pair of hits to lead Post 37 offensively. Kilburn, Perham, Rawling and Rumrill all hit safely.
Post 37 (3-5) will play at the Saxtons River Pirates on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and visit Hartford on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
Bellows Falls starting lineup: Salty Fitzgerald, 2B; Jeremy Kilburn, 1B; Mike LaBeau, P; Brendan Hackett, C; Kirk Perham, 3B; Zach Rawling, SS; Cooper Long, LF; Tim Rumrill, RF; Matt Marchica, CF.
Woodstock-Windsor’s starting lineup: Doug Avellino, CF; Matt Tufts, 2B; Brian Martin, 3B; Jacob Page, 1B; Austin Soule, LF; Eric White, RF; Shawn Pinsonault, SS; Win Townsend, C; Brandon Langan, P.
Shane Covey can be reached at scovey@reformer.com or by calling 802-254-2311, ext. 163.
