Rough Start Dooms Mainers
Sanford falls 6-2 to Pittsfield

Sanford, ME – The Sanford Mainers could not recover from a first-inning three-run deficit as they fall to the Pittsfield Dukes 6-2 Tuesday night at Goodall Park. Sanford is now just 2-10 when the opposition scores five runs or more.

Starter Phil Negus ran into problems early on in the first. Craig Hertler led off the game with an infield single. Domenic DiRicco singled. After a Jason Krizan base-on-balls, Matt Adams hit a slicing fly ball landing down the left field line to clear the bases and give the Dukes an early 3-0 lead. Jake Rosenbeck would add a bloop-single to left to score Adams for the fourth run of the frame.

Sanford would get one of those runs back in their half of the first. Brian Harris reached on an infield single, but was erased on a Corey Hunt fielder’s choice, with Harris out at second. Anthony D’Alfonso singled up the middle. Kyle Groth flew out to the wall in deep right, with Hunt moving to third. Branson Joseph was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded and two down, Mike Murray tomahawked a single to right to plate Hunt.

The Mainers would get another run in the second, with Steve Brooks coming into score on a wild pitch. Pittsfield would add some insurance with solo tallies in each of the third and fifth innings. In the third, Rosenbeck delivered his second run-scoring single on the night plating Chris Edmondson. In the fifth,Adams hit a towering homer, the first longball to straightaway center at Goodall Park this season.

Negus suffered his first loss of the season. The right-hander from Wake Forest allowed six runs on seven hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out five. Kyle Davis fired a scoreless inning and a third, and Jeff DeCarlo recorded the final eight outs without allowing a run for a scoreless appearance. Louie Berardini earned the win for Pittsfield. After a rough start, the right-hander settled down to fire seven innings and allow two runs of five hits. The Gray, Me. native walked three and struck out none.

***Box scores available at necbl.com


Notes…The Mainers lost just their second game of the season against the South. They are now 9-2… Mike Murray now has a seven-game hitting streak... The Mainers welcome in the Torrington Twisters Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30. Audio and video streaming are both available at sanfordmainers.com