Trillium – Friday, August 16– The SweatSox extended their winning record to 11-9-1 with a commanding 12-4 triumph over the Bats (5-13) at Trillium on Friday night. The victory was highlighted by an offensive explosion and a milestone pitching performance by lefty Martin Trepanier, who earned his first NCBL win in over nine years.
Trepanier set the tone early, holding the Bats scoreless through three innings and limiting them to just four hits and two earned runs over his four-inning start. His six strikeouts energized the SweatSox dugout, while the bats gave him a cushion he hadn’t seen in years.
“I joked that I got more run support tonight than I did in all of 2014 combined,” Trepanier said, grinning. “It feels good to pitch with a lead like that.”
The SweatSox offense wasted no time, scoring 11 unanswered runs in the first four innings. Mattingly Romanin led the charge, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, four RBIs, three runs scored, a hit-by-pitch, and two stolen bases.
“I have to give a shoutout to Cory [Bond] for batting behind me,” Romanin said. “Knowing he’s there makes pitchers come to me, and tonight I made them pay.”
Eric White took over on the mound in the fifth and delivered three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit. Though he was initially unaware of his three-inning save—his second of the season—White shrugged off the confusion postgame.
“I didn’t even know that was a thing,” White said with a laugh. “But hey, I’ll take it.”
The Bats managed to avoid the mercy rule with a four-run rally in the fourth inning, capped by an RBI single from Hayden Burnett. This extended the game and gave White his shot at closing it out. Despite the late surge, Bats starter Evan Pierce took the loss, giving up 11 runs over four innings.
In what may have been his final NCBL appearance this season, Bats reliever Maxwell Rose pitched two perfect innings, retiring all six batters he faced. Rose is heading back to SUNY Canton, where he will resume his “Carrying a Baseball Team 101” studies.
For the SweatSox, the night also featured notable performances from Mike Pignat, who swiped three bases (one of which may have been his 100th career steal), and the Bond brothers, Cory and Mark, who each added doubles to the offensive tally.
The defensive play of the game came courtesy of Trepanier, who redeemed himself after a recent miscue by confidently snagging a pop fly on the mound.
“Disons simplement que j’ai appris ma leçon” he joked.
However, not every SweatSox player had a night to remember. Josh Ramage earned the dubious honor of “Sweatiest Player of the Game” after an 0-for-4 performance that included three strikeouts. He narrowly avoided the Golden Sombrero with a groundout to the pitcher in his final at-bat.
The SweatSox will look to keep their momentum going in their next game on Thursday against the Coyotes at the Sportsplex. Manager Cory Bond has already announced that Ramage will take the mound for his final start of the regular season.
“We’re fine-tuning the rotation for the playoffs,” Bond said. “Josh has one more chance to show what he’s got, and I’m confident he’ll continue to set the tone.”
*The SweatSox have now clinched a berth in the 2024 Tier 3 playoffs, but still have some work to do to lock down the all important first round bye, while the Bats continue to battle for pride as the season winds down.
Final SweatSox vs Bats III Notes/Thoughts:
- The best dino-sours are McCormicks dino-sours:
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