Midgets have close game with Newmarket foes

Newmarket visited the midget Bolton Braves June 11 and both teams played quite a competitive nine inning game.

Jeff Thompson pitched seven innings and saw a total of five runs score with only two being earned. Despite some errors, the fielders did a great job shutting down the offense with three double plays in the game. In the third inning with a Newmarket runner on safely, a line drive was hit to shortstop Luke Ratcliffe who quickly threw to Cody Renzetti at first base to complete the double play. The sixth inning had a grounder hit to Thompson on the mound. A runner was forced out on a throw to Adam MacDonald at second, who threw to put out the batter at first.

Chad Manning made some excellent catches in center field to end innings.

Manning pitched the final two innings and just one additional run scored. The top of the ninth inning ended with the third double play. A line drive was hit to first baseman Renzetti who beat the base-runner back to the bag for the double put out.

The Braves saw only one run score in the first six innings. Back-to-back walks of Aiden Long and Will Krisman put Long in position to come home on Ratcliffe's single. A change of Newmarket's pitcher in the seventh inning helped the Braves. Jonathan Conte reached base on a walk and then stole second. Krisman reached first base on a hit and then Manning bunted safely to bring Conte home. A walk to MacDonald loaded the bases. Then a run scored when Thompson earned a walk. Andrew Reid came up to bat and blasted the ball to the outfield fence cashing in two runners and almost a third but Thompson was thrown out at the plate.

Despite singles by Conte, Manning and Thompson in the next two innings, that was it for scoring. The Braves just missed tying, losing 6-5.

Double-header split

The Braves visited Markham two nights later for a double-header. Manning led off the game with a single and scored the first run after two stolen bases and a catcher's error. Reid scored twice after getting on base on a fielding error and then with a single. Vince Capitano also reached home after getting on base with a walk with consecutive RBIs by MacDonald and Patrick Oatway.

Curtis Braun was the starting pitcher and did not allow any runs in the first two innings. Things opened up in the third inning with Markham scoring seven runs when many fielding errors crippled the Braves. Manning finished the game on the mound pitching two innings and having only one additional unearned run cross the plate. Final score was 8-4 for Markham.

The second game of the night had more favourable results for the Braves. Many of the players had a much better game with the bats with multiple singles cashing in runs. Manning and Reid had three hits each while MacDonald and Renzetti both connected for two. RBIs went to Manning, Ratcliffe (3), Renzetti, Reid and Braun.

Long, given starting pitcher honours, did well striking out seven batters over four innings of work and leaving the game with Markham at six runs. MacDonald finished the last three innings and had only one unearned run added for Markham, striking out three and with the fielder's help, denying any more runs. The Braves won this one by a score of 10-7.