Written by Goffstown came home to play the #2 Bishop Guertin Cardinals at Lion’s Field this afternoon. On an overcast, mild day if it was January, the Grizzlies got off to a fast start and led for most of the game. Bishop Guertin (BG) showed their depth and skill by stringing 4 straight clutch hits together in the seventh inning to win the ballgame, 7-5.
Myles Green started on the hill for the home team and did a nice job of changing speeds and keeping hitters off balance. Green pitched 4 1/3 innings allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, with a walk and a strikeout. Then he went to third base and ended up making two of the best defensive plays of the game in the 6th inning, on consecutive fielder’s choices with runners at first and second.
Mark McGaughey started on the mound for BG and barely made it out of the first inning. He threw 30 pitches, allowing 4 runs on 1 hit, 2 walks, and made 2 throwing errors himself. Then he settled down and allowed 1 run over the next 5 innings. In total, he pitched 6 innings and gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and struck out 5. Brett Anderson closed it out in the 7th on 22 pitches with the help of a spectacular leaping catch by Ryan Bue at the left-center field fence off the bat of Bob Doherty.
Connor Hujsak walked to start the first inning for the Grizzlies and came home on Clay Campbell’s double to the fence in center field. Campbell scored on back-to-back wild pitches as Doherty walked. Will Soucy grounded to the mound, but McGaughey fired the ball into center field leaving runners at first and second base. Myles Green put down a sacrifice bunt and the pitcher fielded it and decided, way too late, to throw to second base. That throw also went into center field which allowed Doherty to score. Soucy went to third and would later score on a sacrifice fly from Liam Kilbreth.
Green used only 43 pitches to complete four scoreless innings. Then Bishop Guertin started getting their offense going. The Cardinals left 8 runners on base and scored another 7 runs in the final three innings. Goffstown pitchers hurt themselves issuing 5 walks and hitting 3 batters on the day. BG collected 12 hits in the win. Sam Boudreau had 2 doubles and a single, while Aiden Coyne and Brett Anderson each had 2 hits apiece. Anderson collected the game-winning RBI in the 7th on an 0-2 pitch when he stayed back and went the other way with a solid single between SS and 3B. Four other Cardinal hitters had a hit and a walk each.
Hujsak and Campbell hit back-to-back singles in the second inning but Doherty and Soucy couldn’t knock them in. Hujsak hit a triple off of the right-center field fence, the relay throw was so high it almost hit Ace Hardware, and Hujsak scampered home to give Goffstown a 5-0 lead in the 4th inning. Campbell and Hujsak had 2 hits apiece with Green and Kilbreth each adding a base hit.
Goffstown dropped to 7-7 on the season while Bishop Guertin improved to 13-3. The Grizzlies travel to Bedford to play the red hot Bulldogs on Thursday afternoon at 4 pm. Bedford is 8-5 on the season, winning 7 of their last 8 games.