EDITOR’s NOTE: For the past three days, we have been experiencing problems with our remote server. THE PLANET’s webmaster has been addressing the issue all day today, and it appears the geeks have worked out the bugs. We apologize to the readers of the site for any inconvenience this has caused. We hope the fix is permanent. — THE PLANET

Paronto Stops Quebec as Colonials Run Win Streak to Six

By JOSH CUTLER

PLANET VALENTI Sports

(PITTSFIELD, Monday, June 20, 2011) — Chad Paronto did something Monday night that he hasn’t done in this millennium.

Paronto has to remember back to Sept. 17, 1999, during his stint with the Baltimore Orioles organization, when he pitched over seven innings in a baseball game. The big right hander did just that against the first-place Quebec Capitales, hurling 7 2/3 innings of two-run baseball in a 7-4 victory in front of 702 vocal fans at Historic Wahconah Park.

Big Win Against Tough Team

Colonials Manager Jamie Keefe expressed his satisfaction about the win against a Quebec team which came into the day 18-5 (.783). Brockton is the nearest in the standings, four games behind: “They’ve been on a roll. Their lineup is good, their defense is good, and we really match up well against each other”

With the injury bug seemingly behind the Colonials and a six-game winning streak in tow, Keefe is finally seeing the level the team can play that he envisioned at the start of spring training.

“We still have some things that we need to clean up”, Keefe said,  “but we’ve had some timely hitting, and we’re playing some pretty good baseball, so we’ll keep going with it.”

Paronto Continues To Find His Groove

Paronto (2-3, 4.55 ERA) continued to find the groove which afforded him seven years in the major leagues. After a complete game seven-inning shutout Wednesday against New Jersey, Paronto followed it up with a superb performance against a tough Quebec team, allowing two runs on seven hits in 7 2/3 innings of work, walking one and striking out seven on 107 pitches (74 strikes).

Keefe elected to pull Paronto with two runners on in the eighth with the dangerous Sebastian Boucher coming to the plate. Paronto agreed with Keefe’s decision: “When Jamie (Keefe) took me out of the game with the lefty-on-lefty matchup, it’s an absolutely no-brainer at that junction in the game.”

Paronto attributes some of his success to his recent pairing with catcher Chris Torres, an arrangement he feels has a mutual benefit: “It gives CT a chance to catch, he’s calling great pitches, and we’re on the same page. At the same time, I’m getting comfortable as well”

C’s Take Command in Middle Innings, Add On Late

Down 2-0 in the sixth, Pittsfield finally exploded for three runs off of Quebec starter Matt Rusch (3-2, 1.96 ERA). Quentin Davis, returning after a week off with a calf injury, led off the inning with a walk. Jerod Edmondson then singled to put runners on first and second, but an errant pickoff throw to first by catcher Patrick D’Aoust advanced both runners to scoring position. Matt Nandin then roped a single, bringing home Davis and Edmondson with the tying runs. The charge continued for Pittsfield as Danny Bomback doubled. A fielder’s choice by Angel Molina brought home the go-ahead run.

Pittsfield add two more in the seventh on Edmondson’s mammoth blast to right off of Rusch over the 1791 Club and into the trees, his second long ball of the season. In the eighth, the C’s racked up another deuce off reliever Dexter Bobo, who was wild and ineffective in his 1/3 inning of work. Johnny Welch delivered the big blow, a two-run double to the gap in left-center.

Quebec got two runs in the ninth off of C’s closer Matt Lyons, as Pete LaForest cranked a two-run homer into the night sky. But it was too little, too late for the Capitales.

Edmondson and Welch each went 3-4 and drove in two runs apiece for Pittsfield. D’Aoust and Seth Henry chipped in three hits for the Capitales.

COLONIALS NOTES: Righty Miguel Flores (0-3, 2.93 ERA) goes for the Colonials in Tuesday evening’s game against the Capitales’ Bryan Rembisz (1-1, 2.75 ERA)… The majority of the game was played without a bank of lights in dead center. Keefe wasn’t too concerned with their effect on the game: “If you lose those ones behind home plate, that’s trouble” … Colonials team trainer Diane Thorn came out during the eighth inning to check on Bomback, who rolled over his wrist on a diving play up the middle. Keefe said that Bomback was fine after the game … 1975 Red Sox World Series hero Bernie Carbo was on hand for Monday’s game, as he signed memorabilia, posed for pictures, and chatted with fans on the Wahconah Park concourse.