HE WINDS, HE FIRES: Pat Moran rears back in Game 1 at Beloved Wahconah Park in Game 1 of Thursday's (July 28) doubleheader. (Photo by Josh Cutler for PLANET VALENTI Sports)

By JOSH CUTLER

PLANET VALENTI Sports

(PITTSFIELD, JULY 29 (GAMES OF JULY 28), 2011) — After three tough games against the Rockland Boulders, the Pittsfield Colonials could have just packed their bags and gone home.

Thankfully, prior to Game 2 of the day/night doubleheader, they didn’t pack away their bats.

Buoyed by an eight-run second inning highlighted by a three-run bomb to dead center by Jerod Edmondson, the Colonials wrapped up a 12-5 victory before 614 fans at Historic Wahconah Park.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Boulders captured Game 1 when a six-run sixth inning erased a 7-2 Pittsfield lead and turned it into an 8-7 Rockland victory. It was a dispiriting loss, coming as it does still early in the second half and with the playoff picture beginning to ride more and more on each successive game.

Bats Find Their Groove In Game 2

After Rockland took an early 2-0 lead, Pittsfield found their hitting shoes against Boulders starter Bobby Blevins (5-5, 4.03 ERA), scoring all eight of their runs in the inning prior to recording an out.  After Billy Mottram reached on a single to right and Angel Molina was drilled with a pitch, Peter Fatse lined a 1-0 single to center off of Blevins to bring home Pittsfield’s first run.  Torres would knot the game at 2-2 when he doubled off the center field wall, allowing Molina to cross the plate.

Scott Knazek, one of the slower runners on Pittsfield’s squad, provide some separation when he belted a 3-2 pitch to the right center triangle. He legged out a triple, bringing home two runs and giving Pittsfield a 4-2 lead.  Quentin Davis then followed with an RBI single, and after a single by Jermel Lomack, Edmondson crushed a 1-2 pitch to dead center off of the football press box to give the Colonials an 8-2 lead.

Following Edmondson’s dinger, Manager Dave LaPoint had seen enough from Blevins, who allowed eight runs in one plus-inning of work.  Justin Fry would back him up with four innings, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out eight.

Meanwhile, Colonials’ starter MacKenzie King (2-3, 7.32 ERA) gave Manager Jamie Keefe the two things that he needed after back-to-back doubleheaders and three toughlosses: seven strong innings and a chance to win the game.   King allowed five runs and six hits through his seven innings of work, walking one and striking out four on 107 pitches, 77 for strikes. He recorded a complete game, his second of the year.

Colonials’ catching tandem Knazek and Chris Torres were the offensive stars of the evening, each going 3-3, with Knazek homering twice and driving in 6 runs, a career high. Every starter in the Colonials’ batting order contributed at least one hit.

Cristobal Santana and Scott Clement each added two hits apiece for Rockland against King.

Tough Loss Late in Game 1

In the day game, Pittsfield held a commanding 7-2 lead going into the top of the sixth inning against the Boulders.  Just when it looked like Colonials’ starter Pat Moran had the game sealed, things began to unravel.

Norm Hutchins led off the top of the sixth with a solo home run, and Moran subsequently allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases.  After inducing Joe Hage into a flyout to center, Keefe elected to go to the pen and usually reliable reliever Mike Zenko (5-1, 1.75 ERA).  Zenko gave up a single to center off the bat of Mike Richard to single to center. Richard’s base knock brought home one run and narrowed the score to 7-4.

Ryde Rodriquez would then score on a wild pitch by Zenko, making it 7-5.  Ryan Mollica reached on a fielding error by third baseman Peter Fatse, allowing Chase Weems to come in the back door with the sixth Rockland run.

Rockland tied the score at seven when Jeremy Slayden lined a 1-0 Zenko offering to center, bringing Richard across the dish.  Rockland would ultimately plate the winning run on a sacrifice fly to center by Santana.

Pittsfield was held in check in the sixth and seventh innings by Boulders’ relievers Kent Worthington and Adrian Martin, who combined two allow only one hit in their two innings of work.

John Muller (2-4, 8.10 ERA) earned the victory in relief of Casey Hodges, who allowed six runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings of work.

Mottram and Danny Bomback each went 3-4 for Pittsfield, while Angel Molina contributed his third round tripper on the season with a solo blast to lead off the fifth.  Slayden went 3-4 with two RBI for Rockland.

COLONIALS NOTES: Pittsfield now heads out of town for a three game set beginning Friday night in New Jersey against the Jackals … Colonials SS Matt Nandin (hamstring) continues to be slowed by his injury and is roughly a week away from returning to action. … Meanwhile, 3B Johnny Welch took batting practice Thursday and appears close to be ready to return to game action … Colonials staff members continue to pick up the pieces from the storm which forced yesterday’s double header to be played in North Adams.