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End of the road; Shoreline ousts Post 79 |
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Wednesday, 30 July 2008 |
By MICHAEL PARENTE
Sports writer
PAWTUCKET – The weaknesses that plagued Collette Vacations during the regular season reared their ugly heads again Tuesday at the worst possible time.
Twenty-four hours after a demoralizing loss in Game 2 of its American Legion playoff series against 12th-seeded Shoreline, Collette dropped the rubber game, 8-5, Wednesday at Max Read Field due to sloppy defense and spotty pitching.
Shoreline built an early lead on a pair of home runs in the second and fourth innings and broke the game open in the fifth with four unearned runs. Collette’s season is over while Shoreline will advance to play Cool Air Creations, beginning Wednesday night at 6 at Renaud Field in Woonsocket.
“We had flaws all summer that came back to haunt us over the last 12 innings or so,” said Collette manager Jim Mello, who also announced his retirement following Tuesday’s loss. “With a couple of outs in the seventh inning (Monday) night, we kind of came unglued a little bit.
“We had some pitching concerns and some fielding concerns all summer, and when you come into the playoffs, that’s all got to be sharpened up.”
The meltdown began in Game 2 on Monday when fifth-seeded Collette allowed six unanswered runs over the final three innings, turning a 10-6 lead into a 12-10 loss at Lischio Field.
With momentum heading into Game 3, Shoreline got off to an early start Tuesday when Austin Brown belted a solo home run to left-center field off starter Derek Nesbitt in the top of the second inning. Dave D’Errico followed with a two-run blast to left in the fourth, giving Shoreline a 3-0 lead.
“We had a couple of bad breaks in the first game that could’ve gone either way, and we came right back,” Shoreline assistant coach Chris Batz said. “It took two days, but we really started hitting the ball. We pushed every count to 3-2, and that’s really the key to our approach at the plate.”
Collette had chances early, but stranded five base runners over the first four innings and 11 total. Mike O’Neill tripled with one out in the bottom of the first, but Kyle Borden struck out swinging and John Robbins popped up to second base to end the threat. In the fourth, Collette loaded the bases with nobody out, but got only one run on Doug Hopper’s 6-4-3 double play.
Shoreline starter Jay Ferri worked in and out of trouble, but pitched effectively for five innings, allowing only two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts.
“We triple in the first with our No. 3 and 4 guys up and get no contact. We tried to put a little pressure on them because their pitcher is only a sophomore, but he pitched a hell of a game,” Mello said. “He had us off balance and mixed (speeds) well.
“We had double figures in men on base and lost, 8-5, so a hit here and a hit there, the game is different, but you could say that about every game. They outplayed us today and deserved to win the series. It’s as simple as that.”
Collette (14-6) unraveled in the fifth when second baseman Jeff Sousa booted Ed Apice’s grounder to lead off the inning. D’Errico made it 4-1 with an RBI double and James Kerin capped the outburst with a two-run single to center to give Shoreline a 7-1 cushion. All four runs were unearned.
“I thought we matched up OK,” Mello said. “In the first game, we were up big and they came storming back, so we knew they’d be resilient regardless. They’re a good ball club. A lot of kids there have played in big games in pressure spots, so it’s nothing new to them. We didn’t reach our goal, but 14-6 is a pretty successful season.”
Shoreline added an insurance run in the seventh when Matt Rhieu tripled and scored on reliever Doug Hopper’s throwing error. The bullpen took care of the rest, with Mark Medeiros allowing only one run in 1 2/3 innings and Cody Normand mopping up the final 2 1/3 with four strikeouts.
“We made a few great plays defensively and we shut them down without giving them a lot of runs,” Batz said. “We knew they were a great hitting team, but we just couldn’t give them too many, and that was what we were focusing on.”
Collette mounted a brief rally in the ninth when Nick Gaj drove in two runs on a single to right, but Sousa grounded out to first to end the season – and Mello’s six-year tenure.
“Six years is enough time,” Mello said. “I just had my first child, so I have a young family I want to spend more time with. I’m thinking about going back to Little League to start over. At this level, there’s not much teaching involving. You have good players and you’re managing pieces like a chess game. I want to get back to basics and hopefully get back to Little League and start over with the fundamentals.” |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 02 August 2008 )
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