BY JOSH CUTLER

PLANET VALENTI Sports

(PITTSFIELD, Tuesday, May 31, 2011) — Where have the bats gone?

Following a barrage of nine runs in the first three innings of Sunday’s victory, runs have been few and far between over the past few days for the Pittsfield Colonials.

After a 10-2 defeat to the Rockland Boulders Monday afternoon, the Boulders made it two in a row Tuesday evening to defeat Chad Paronto and the C’s, 3-2, before 479 fans at Historic Wahconah Park.

Blevins Shuts Down Colonials Batters

Colonials batters never looked comfortable against 26-year-old Bobby Blevins, who allowed only two runs while scattering nine hits through 6 1/3 innings. Blevins walked none and struck out four on 94 pitches, 66 for strikes. The Colonials got their runs off Blevins when Johnny Welch launched a two-run shot over the right field fence off of Blevins, his third of the young season, bringing the Colonials within one run.

Rafael Cabreja (3) and Jerod Edmundson (11) loosen up on deck and in the hole in the sixth inning of the Colonials' 3-2 loss to the Rockland Boulders Tuesday night, May 31, at Beloved Wahconah Park (Josh Cutler for PLANET VALENTI Sports)

Colonials Manager Jamie Keefe was displeased that despite scrounging up nine hits off of Blevins, his club could never get over the hump: “When you get nine hits and the other team gets eight, you have to win that ballgame”.

Paronto Solid in Second Start

Meanwhile, Paronto (0-2, 5.25 ERA) turned in a quality start, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits in six innings of work, walking three while punching out four. Keefe said he felt that Paronto showed more flashes tonight of the pitcher that he was during his seven-year career in Major League Baseball :“[Paronto] figured some things out tonight, as he got more comfortable with the wind-up. He had too many three ball counts which hurt him, though.”

Making only his second start in nearly a decade, Paronto said that starting and working with catcher Scott Knazek will continue to be a developing process: “I told Scotty that it’s going to be a couple more starts before we have everything clicking, but tonight I felt like I continued to do some things better than before.”

Missed Opportunities Mire the Later Innings

Despite Welch’s sixth inning homer, the C’s could never plate the tying run against the Boulders’ pitchers, as Blevins, Kyle Wilson, Michael Gardner, and Adrian Martin combined to shut down Colonials batters through the latter innings.

The Colonials blew two golden opportunities to score in the later innings, but mistakes would kill their momentum. Knazek led off the 7^th inning with a double to deep left off of Blevins, but was thrown out by shortstop Bridger Hunt on a perfect relay from center fielder Sean Smith trying to stretch it into a triple.

Keefe was not pleased with Knazek’s decision to take third: “He knows he made a mistake, but that’s the type of mistake you make early in the season.”

The C’s wasted an even better chance in the 8^th inning. Danny Bomback was drilled on the shoulder with a 1-2 pitch from Gardner, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch, all with no outs. Angel Molina grounded out sharply to third, with Bomback unable to advance. Rafael Cabreja was then plunked by Gardner in the back, setting up a first and third with one out situation for Johnny Welch. Gardner was able to escape the jam by inducing Welch into a 6-3 double play, ultimately erasing the threat.

Zenko Keeps Game Close for C’s

Despite the loss, reliever Mike Zenko emerged as an unsung hero out of the Colonials’ pen. Backing up Paronto, Zenko kept the Boulders’ bats silent through the latter half of the game, allowing only one hit through three scoreless innings of work, walking one while striking out two.

Keefe was impressed with the arsenal that Zenko brought to the table: “He’s got a fastball that sinks, and when he throws his changeup like he did tonight, he’s going to be really big for us”.

Paronto, who also doubles as pitching coach, was equally impressed with the effort Zenko gave to keep his team in the ballgame: “He’s a strong guy, he attacks the strike zone, and he’s aggressive. That’s really what we want these kids to do”.

COLONIALS NOTES: Left-hander David Qualben (1-0, 2.35 ERA) takes the ball for the Colonials Wednesday morning against Roger Lincoln (1-0, 1.29 ERA) …Wednesday’s 10:30 a.m. start time is due to an educational partnership with the Pittsfield Public Schools, as elementary school students from across the city will be attending the game … The Colonials also plan two 10:30 a.m. school day start times next week, on June 7 (Tuesday) and June 8 (Wednesday).

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TUESDAY NIGHT COLOR AT BWP

BY DAN VALENTI

* For the second game in a row, mistakes on the bases hurt the Colonials. After the 9-2-6 double play on Monday that ran the team out of an inning, it happened again on Tuesday. Scott Knazek led off the bottom of the 7th in a 2-2 game with a ringing double to left center, but he made an ill-advised decision to try for three. He was thrown out. On Tuesday, Keefe gave the green light to Cabreja, waving him in from second on a base hit to right. Tonight, Knazek gambled on his own. It’s one thing to be aggressive on the base paths; it’s another to be foolhardy. The Planet doesn’t question Keefe’s decision to send the runner home on Monday, but Knazek needs to be aware of the situation. In a 2-2 game, he’s on second, in scoring position, with no outs and the 1-2-3 hitters coming up. There’s no way he should be running.

* Boulders’ starter Blevins impressed with his mix of pitches. The righty was a 13th round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2007 amateur draft. Last year, he pitched for the Dodgers on the A+, AA, and AAA levels. His experience showed on the mound, as did Paronto’s.

* The music speakers at BWP just aren’t good enough to handle music at a volume that’s pumped into the grandstand in the late innings. The tunes may sound OK to those in the bleachers or beer tent, but those sitting under the roof risk split ears from the tinny sound waves. The Planet’s free advice: Lower the volume, and stick to classics.

* The other “big story” tonight was the small attendance, with less that 500 showing up. The crowds need to pick up for the effort put out by Buddy Lewis. The Planet’s thinking the people will begin to show after schools let out and the cultural season takes off in late June. This team should be averaging 1,200 a game. The Planet has a theory on attendance in Pittsfield that we will share in a future post.

* Jerod Edmondson, who played left tonight, ran his consecutive regular season games played string to 192. Eddie’s iron man run dates back to 2009.

* Other lineup changes tonight pencilled in by Jamie Keefe: Danny Bomback moved from second to short, replacing Matt Nandin. Billy Mottram switched from the outfield to first base. Charlie Pagliarulo got his first start, playing second. Keefe is looking for what Baltimore Orioles manager used to call “deep depth.”

* Banjo Joe, who played “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” also turned his instrument into “The Rally Banjo” during the 7th. It almost worked, until Knazek thought he was Maury Wills. that’s like Banjo Joe thinking he’s Earl Scruggs.

* Going into tonight’s game, the Colonials’ starting pitchers were 2-2 with a 5.10 ERA in 30 innings. The relievers were 1-0, 9.00, in 15 innings. Zenko’s three innings of shutout ball will help the bullpen’s numbers.

* The Planet got our first look at the team’s 2011 Yearbook, which we helped to write. Heather Cachet and staff did a great job putting it together. It’s well worth the $5 price.

* The first sun delay came tonight. It didn’t last long. We didn’t time it, but you couldn’t have cooked more than two, three-minutes eggs in that span.

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“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE”

LOVE TO ALL