{"id":4329,"date":"2025-07-03T19:21:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T23:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sweatsoxbaseball.com\/blog\/?p=4329"},"modified":"2025-07-04T19:24:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T23:24:54","slug":"fitzgerald-blows-out-elbow-still-rings-up-30-in-sox-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sweatsoxbaseball.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/03\/fitzgerald-blows-out-elbow-still-rings-up-30-in-sox-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Fitzgerald Blows Out Elbow, Still Rings Up 30 in Sox Win"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINSMEN PARK<\/strong> \u2014 The SweatSox climbed 2 games above .500 with a statement 6-1 victory over the Bats on Sunday afternoon, sweeping the regular season series 2-0 against their longtime rivals in a showdown of evenly matched 7-6 teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, it was the masterful right arm of Eric White that carried the day. White tied his own franchise record by striking out 18 batters \u2014 matching the feat he accomplished last season, also against the Bats \u2014 and was directly involved in 20 of the 21 total outs. Depending on who was holding the pencil, White allowed somewhere between two and five hits, but there was no disputing his dominance over seven full innings to improve to 5-2 on the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The turning point came in the bottom of the third. With the SweatSox nursing a 3-1 lead, Steve Brown casually arrived from a day at the ice rink, slipped on a ball cap, and took over the game. Coming off the bench, Brown went a perfect 2-for-2, roping a double, scoring twice, and driving in a key insurance run late. He also secured Defensive Player of the Game honours by making the only non-Eric out of the contest \u2014 a routine fly ball in right field that ended the sixth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere would these guys be without me? Probably somewhere under .500,\u201d Brown quipped post-game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catcher Phil Leduc, who also caught White\u2019s 18-strikeout masterpiece last season, knew exactly what to expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen Eric\u2019s throwing the pitches I call, good things happen. When he doesn\u2019t, well\u2026 we\u2019ll leave that for another day,\u201d Leduc laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone was thoroughly impressed. Eric\u2019s son Teddy offered a typically dry assessment: \u201c18 strikeouts is good, I guess. But 20 would\u2019ve been way gooder.\u201d Forgive him, he\u2019s still working on his adjectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offensively, Jaspreet Sanghra was the table-setter, reaching base three times (a hit and two walks) and leading the way with two RBI. Larry Pawelek and Cory Bond each collected a pair of hits, while Leduc also reached twice via walks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sixth inning rally that put the game on ice began with Josh Ramage lining a one-out double, finally breaking through after a forgettable day up to that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore that, I\u2019d done absolutely nothing \u2014 no hits, no plays in right, no plays at third, threw a garbage bullpen in the second,\u201d Ramage admitted. \u201cBut hey, I did have a solid tribal yell in the dugout, and that double felt pretty damn good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other side, the Bats had a few bright spots. Reigning Pitcher (and Rookie) of the Year Maxwell Rose came on in relief and struck out nine in 10 outs of work, while only Gio Fata and Rose himself managed to avoid falling victim to a White strikeout. Manager Cameron MacDonald, last year\u2019s Sportsman of the Year, was as relentlessly positive as ever despite the loss, keeping his squad upbeat through the final out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the win, the SweatSox move to 8-6 and will next face the Aylmer Bulldogs on Friday night under the lights at the Sportsplex. They\u2019ll be without me (Shaun Keay), who was hit square in the back by a pitch on Sunday and is expected to miss 4-6 with a spinal injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the NCBL will also be without umpire Phil Fitzgerald for the next 4-6, as he recovers from Tommy John surgery after ringing up an astounding 30 total strikeouts in this game. \u201cHey, it\u2019s the price you pay to be part of history,\u201d the former Blind Wolves dummer said with a grin. \u201cMy arm may be toast from all the punchings out, but I\u2019ll be bragging about this one for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

SweatSox get back into the win column behind a complete game 18K gem from Eric White.

SweatSox 6. Bats 1.

WP- White (5-2)
LP- Mather (0-1)

Shoutout to Ross Hughes who showed up for the 1st time in nearly 3 years to help us avoid an automatic out.#beavertails<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/x43XT4LdpM<\/a><\/p>— SweatSox (@SweatSox) June 30, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>