HERITAGE PARK — June 5 — With second place in the standings on the line and two evenly matched clubs entering the night tied at 3-1-1, the SweatSox and Lynx delivered exactly the type of contest everyone expected—at least for the first six innings.
Then came the seventh.
Locked in a tense one-run game, the SweatSox erupted for nine runs in a stunning offensive avalanche, turning a nail-biter into a 13-4 victory over the Lynx on Friday night at Heritage Park.
The win improved the SweatSox to 4-1-1 and moved them into sole possession of second place in the standings. It also evened the all-time series between the clubs at three wins apiece after the Lynx had entered the evening holding a 3-2 edge.
“These are the games you look forward to,” said SweatSox manager Cory Bond. “Two teams that are basically dead even, both playing good ball, both with something to prove. You just go out there and compete and see what happens. For six innings, it was exactly that kind of game.”
The Lynx struck first, taking a 2-0 lead through three innings as the teams traded punches in a low-scoring affair.
The SweatSox clawed their way back to even the score through four innings before finally grabbing their first lead in the fifth when part-timer Eric White crossed the plate on a rare Lynx passed ball.
The decisive blow came in the sixth. With the game knotted at three, Jaspreet Sanghra lined an RBI single to put the SweatSox ahead 4-3, a lead they would never surrender.
“Everything’s coming up Jaspreet lately,” Sanghra said with a grin. “I got engaged last night, and now the baseball looks like a beach ball coming to the plate. Life is great.”
What followed was one of the most explosive innings in SweatSox history… since last Tuesday.
Looking for a little breathing room in the seventh, the Sox instead found an entire oxygen tank.
All nine SweatSox batters came around to score during a nine-run uprising that completely broke the game open. Phil Leduc delivered a key two-run single during the rally, while Trevor Williams put the finishing touches on the inning with a bases-clearing three-run single.
“Big-time players come up big in big-time games,” said Leduc. “And I’m obviously a big-time player.”
Williams, meanwhile, offered a simpler explanation.
“It’s the Dukes’ job to produce on offense,” he said. “Since I was the only Duke here, that responsibility fell to me. I had to come through.”
Ron Martelle earned the victory with another strong outing, improving to 2-0 on the season. The veteran right-hander worked five innings, allowing six hits, one earned run, and one walk while striking out five.
Martelle’s performance came after what may have been the strangest pregame routine in league history.
“I was on the phone with my buddy Bob Sacamano before the game and realized I had to return some pants,” Martelle explained. “So I headed out to do that, slipped in some mud, ruining the very pants I was about to return. So then I had to go buy a new pair at Sport Chek and then come throw a gem. Pretty standard day, really.”
Eric White, in town for the weekend, made his season debut and slammed the door shut with two innings of relief to earn the save.
“The drive was worth it to help this Sox team out,” said White. “And it feels great to be back in the NCBL. It’s way better than that other league I’m playing in now.”
Offensively, James “The Red Engine” Paul continued his torrid start to the season with two hits and a walk. Williams and Leduc each collected two hits and three RBIs, with Leduc adding a towering double deep into the left-center field gap back in the 6th.
C-Bond also reached a personal milestone, getting on base twice via hit-by-pitch for the first time in his career.
“Some guys have speed. Some guys have power,” Bond said. “I apparently have an elite ability to absorb baseballs with various parts of my body. Two times on base is two times on base.”
Josh Ramage contributed a rare pair of walks in what statisticians are currently investigating as a potential clerical error.
“Everything was backwards for me today,” Ramage said. “Two walks, I dropped an easy double-play catch at first base, got into my car from the passenger side, rubbed one out with the stranger before the game. Real weird day.”
Defensively, White at shortstop and Sanghra at second base anchored the middle infield. The duo combined for six assists, two putouts, and only three errors while helping limit Lynx scoring opportunities throughout the evening.
For the Lynx, starting pitcher Nick Jimenez was excellent through six-plus innings before the seventh-inning floodgates opened. Andrew Bonden and Ryan Bradley each collected three hits, with Bradley driving in three runs. Jared MacFarlane added two hits for the reigning Tier 3 semifinalists.
Bonden also put on a defensive clinic at shortstop, recording a game-high four assists and three putouts while extinguishing several promising SweatSox rallies.
The SweatSox will look to carry their momentum into Sunday’s matchup against the Lumberjacks at Lower Kinsmen. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
Final SweatSox vs Lynx Notes/Thoughts:
- Kent has 6 Miller Lite cooler bags, but he could always use a 7th.
- The Orleans Expos were not playing Expos baseball.
- Ron and Craig have met once before, on Opening Day.
- The Triangle Rewards Loyalty program includes such retailers as: Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Mark’s, Party City, Atmosphere, Pro Hockey Life, PartSource, and participating Sports Experts locations.
- What was Wemby thinking?
- JP came up big with the CZ’s.
- Vaccines cause adults.
- Trading a $10 Tim’s card for 2 packs of ProV1’s is a good trade.
- Beware the suspicious characters lurking near Josh’s car.
- Mark doesn’t know how to get to the highway from Heritage.
- We missed seeing John Mendonca at the ballpark, we hope to see him back out there soon.
