Mainers Conclude Homestand with 6-3 Loss to SteepleCats
Sanford begins three-game road trip Thursday at Torrington

Sanford, ME – Despite their previous dominance against the NECBL’s Southern Division, the Sanford Mainers couldn’t breakthrough against North Adams pitching as they fall to the SteepleCats 6-3 Wednesday night at Goodall Park. It was the Mainers’ first loss against a Southern opponent this season in eight contests.

With the score 2-2 in the top of the eighth, the SteepleCats would get a couple clutch base-hits to take the lead. The inning started on a soft groundball between Nick Cenatiempo and Kyle Groth off the bat of John Malloy. What could’ve been the first out of the inning turned into an infield single, which started a four-run rally for North Adams. The SteepleCats would load the bases with one away. In relief of Cenatiempo now, Jeff DeCarlo struck out Cody Stanley. Mike Donato stepped to the plate with two down. Despite his 0-22 against left-handed pitching coming into the at-bat, Donato lined a single to center off of the southpaw DeCarlo to plate two. Ryan Delgado would give North Adams some insurance when he came through with a clutch, two-out, two-run single of his own to make it a 6-2 ballgame. The Mainers would get one run back in their half of the eighth on a Matt Nandin RBI single to right, plating Corey Hunt. The inning would come to an end however when Nandin tried to stretch the single into a double and was thrown out at second base. Sanford would get a two-out single by Will Greenberg and nothing else in the ninth.

The Mainers would get the scoring started in the second. Greg Hopkins doubled on a sharp line-drive down the left field line. After a sacrifice bunt by Klint Reed, Hunt delivered an RBI groundout to score Hopkins. North Adams would get that run back in their half of the fifth on an RBI double by Delgado, the newest SteepleCat.

Each team would trade one-run blows in the sixth. North Adams would get their run on a wild-pitch strikeout with two away, allowing Malloy to score from third while Paul Hoilman reached first. The Mainers would temporarily tie the game up in their half of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Groth, scoring Anthony D’Alfonso.

Cenatiempo suffered the loss despite a strong outing. After retiring the first 13 batters of the game, the right-hander went on two allow three runs in seven and a third innings. He walked one and struck out eight. DeCarlo gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning and Ryan Lapointe fired a scoreless inning and a third. Nick Serino won for North Adams. The left-hander allowed three runs, two earned, in seven-plus innings.

***Box scores available at necbl.com


Notes…The Mainers lost their first game of the year when tied or leading entering the eighth inning… Sanford is now just 1-8 when opponents score five times or more… The Mainers hit the road Thursday night to take on Torrington. First pitch is slated for 7:00. Audio and video streaming are both available at sanfordmainers.com