From The Daily Gleaner
(click link for original news story)
By BRUCE HALLIHAN
hallihan.bruce (at) dailygleaner.com
The Charlottetown Fawcetts had a couple of scores to settle with the Fredericton Coors Light Twins when they arrived at Prospect Street Park yesterday.
They still do.
After being swept 15-2 and 2-0 by the Twins in Maritime Senior Fastpitch League exhibition action Saturday on the island, Charlottetown came here for a return twin bill hoping to pick up a pair of preseason wins.
Instead, the teams played to entertaining 6-6 and 3-3 ties before 30 fans.
“We still haven’t lost,” Fredericton rightfielder Edan Welch said with a grin.
Welch hit a two-out, two-run single off Charlottetown chucker Chris Craig to snap a 1-1 tie in the fifth, but Craig clubbed a two-run homer off reliever Jim Keenan to tie it 3-3 with one out in the top of the seventh.
The Twins got two aboard in the bottom of the seventh – Ricky LeBlanc was credited with his third single on a missed call at first base – but Craig got Welch to pop up to third to end the inning and the game in another deadlock.
The teams had decided against playing extra innings.
Charlottetown is hosting the senior nationals this summer, but was without ace pitcher Frank Cox, who had committed to a tournament in Ontario.
“We’re still making a lot of little mistakes,” Craig said. “Yesterday over in P.E.I. they took it to us pretty good, so it was nice to come over here and get a couple of ties, especially trailing 3-1 going into the seventh. It was a good chance to work on little things. It’s early in the year.”
The five-team regular season opens May 29-30 in Brookfield, N.S.
“We’re hoping senior ball is back to where it was 10 years ago,” Craig said. “There are lots of good young players. The competition is tight. Any team could take it.”
“These four games are great to get ready for league play,” Welch said. “You want to get into some good habits on the field and this weekend was a good start. (Charlottetown) will obviously have a couple more guys coming in, but it was a good test. We’ll play them all year, so you never like to lose to them.”
Fredericton’s Peter Mersereau and Charlottetown counterpart Mitch Hardy each fanned seven and walked only one through four innings. Mersereau allowed four singles while Hardy surrendered a solo homer – Mersereau tied it in the third – and a pair of singles.
Craig had singled in Charlottetown’s first run in the second while Jeff Ellsworth was 2-for-2 with a walk.
Mersereau was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. LeBlanc was 3-for-4 while Nick Theriault and Jason Gallant were both 1-for-2.
Both teams had six hits in the first game yesterday. Charlottetown got all of its hits off starter Trevor Ryan, who took a 5-4 lead into the sixth, but Craig walked and Mike McIsaac tripled off the right field fence to tie it 5-5. Mersereau came in to strike out the side, but not before a mental error by catcher Jason Geldart gave the visitors a 6-5 lead. McIsaac was caught in a rundown between third and home, but escaped and scored when Geldart threw too quickly to third base instead of trying to box him in.
The Twins, who had five hits in four innings against starter Mike Bishop, rallied to tie it. Hardy allowed just one hit in relief – a solo shot to Bobby Despres in the fifth – but the Twins nicked him for an unearned run in the seventh. Theriault drew a two-out walk, went to second when shortstop McIsaac booted Despres’ grounder, moved to third on pinch-hitter Jeremy Tracy’s walk and raced home when Hardy threw a 1-2 pitch to Gallant to the backstop.
Gallant struck out two pitches later, but the 6-6 tie was in the books.
Ellsworth, like McIsaac, ripped an RBI triple, Mike Craig (Chris’ brother) cracked a solo home run and Mark Arsenault lashed a run-scoring double.
Geldart went deep and drove in three runs. LeBlanc was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Mersereau also went 2-for-4.
Defensively, third baseman Despres caught a bunt bare-handed and turned it into a double play. LeBlanc and David Kirkpatrick also made great diving plays at short and second, respectively.
“That’s good to see this early on,” said Welch, who was also impressed by Mersereau, who struck out 17 in nine innings overall.
“Hopefully he gets back to where he was five or six years ago,” Welch said. “He was a workhorse in junior and we could definitely use his arm. Pete just needs his confidence because he’s a good pitcher.”
Saturday in Charlottetown, the Twins pounced on Bishop, leading 7-1 after three innings and 11-2 after four.
Theriault was 4-for-5 with a homer, double and two singles. Despres was also 4-for-5 with a double, three singles and four RBIs. Mersereau was 4-for-4 and was hit by a pitch, Welch was 3-for-3 with a moon shot and three ribbies.
Ken Brawn was 2-for-2 with a solo shot while Tracy tagged a two-run homer in his only at bat. Geldart was 3-for-5 with a double.
Ryan scattered four hits over four innings, including a solo homer to McIsaac, before Mersereau tossed three innings of no-hit relief.
Tracy won a pitcher’s duel with Hardy in the rematch. After Welch doubled in the top of the first, Tracy followed with a two-run bomb and the 2-0 lead stood up. Tracy allowed just one single in five innings, fanning 10 and walking no one. Keenan got the save, allowing two hits in two innings. He struck out four and walked three.
Hardy scattered six hits in a losing cause. Drew Power was 1-for-2 for Charlottetown. MacDonald and Chris Craig also singled.