Game Notes: Keene 2, North Shore 0

Joseph Gravellese, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department
SID@nsnavs.com; 781-632-5610

North Shore Navigators vs. Keene Swamp Bats, 6:05 PM, Fraser Field. 93 degrees at game time.

LINESCORE

KEE (1-0) 0 0 0 – 0 0 0 – 1 1 0 –---------2 5 1

NSR (1-0) 0 0 0 – 0 0 0 – 0 0 0 ----------0 3 0

W) Tommy Meagher (1-0): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 0 BB

L) Mike Adams (0-1): 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 BB

SV) David Colvin (1): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER

NOTEBOOK

-A critical moment in the game occurred during the home half of the 7^th inning. With the Navigators trailing 1-0, Mike Provencher led off with an infield single. The next batter, cleanup hitter and D3 College World Series star Kent Graham, was asked to drop down a sacrifice bunt. Provencher wound up stranded on 3^rd base after Derek Trent popped out to end the inning.

When asked about the decision to bunt with Graham, head coach Jason Falcon said that in that situation, “you’ve got to try and tie up the game. We’ve got to get a chance to get a game-tying single. You have to play a little bit of small ball in this league – you can’t expect him to hit a shot to the gap, especially the way the game was going tonight. We wanted to force extra innings and win it in extra innings, if we had to. I’d [sacrifice bunt] in that situation every time.”

-Both starting pitchers had outstanding season debuts. Tommy Meagher, the winning pitcher, yielded just three hits and no walks in seven scoreless innings. “He kept us off balance,” said Falcon. “He spotted his pitches well.”

North Shore starter Mike Adams of Franklin Pierce University was the hard-luck loser, giving up one run on four hits in seven innings. The only run he gave up came on a double play ball with a runner on 3^rd and nobody out in the 7^th inning. “We got what we wanted [on that play],” said Falcon. “We were playing for the one run.”

-Adams’ Franklin Pierce teammate and roommate of three years, Scott Stavastano, was selected in the 28^th round of the MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners. He was picked “later than we expected,” said Adams. “It’s still good though, he said he’s going to get good money. We’ll see if he signs.”

-The heat was one of the big stories in this game, along with its quick pace. The temperature was 93 degrees at the first pitch and dropped no lower than 87 during the game. Perhaps in an effort to get out of the heat – or maybe in an attempt to get home in time for Game 2 of the NBA Finals - the game ended in 2 hours, 14 minutes.

-The team has reacted positively to their Lynn experience so far. “It’s so much fun,” said catcher Dan Coury. “This is a sweet stadium, with great people running the organization. I hope to stay here as long as I can.”Mike Provencher concurred: “The fan support is great, the field is nice, and the area is excellent. You can’t beat it –we can go hang at the beach during the day and play at a nice ballpark at night.”

QUOTES

Jason Falcon, Head Coach

On starting pitcher Mike Adams -

“He can throw his off speed stuff whenever he wants, and that was the difference.”

On winning pitcher Tommy Meagher-

“He kept us off balance. He threw a great changeup and had a solid curveball. He spotted his pitches well.”

On Keene’s run scoring play in the 7^th -

“We got what we wanted. We got the double play. The run scored, but we were playing for the one run… I think the second run kind of deflated us. It’s a new season, the guys are still all getting used to eachoether. But like I told them afterward, we’ve given up 9 hits in 18 innings – I think we’re going to win some games.”

On the team’s progress so far, two days into the season -

“Theyre doing very well. They’ve come together quickly. They’ve had a very nice warm welcome from the people of Lynn, which we’re very grateful for, and I think they’re getting along very well.”

On his pitching staff-

“it’s still early. We’ve got 3 more starters to see. We built our team to have strong pitching, but everybody’s got to show it and perform.”

On keeping Adams in to get out of jams in the 6^th and 7^th -

“There was no thought of taking him out. His pitch count was reasonable. I’ve seen that kid pitch a few times, and I’ve seen him battle. I went out to talk to him in that inning and he said ‘coach, we’re good.’ As a pitcher myself, I know that when you see that look in his eye, he’s going to go out and compete for you.”

On his team not getting any walks at the plate -

“I told the guys early, let’s be aggressive. We’ve got to put the ball in play. The last thing we want to do is strike out a lot. Guys are getting used to their spots in the lineup, they’re batting in different spots than they do at school, so that’s going to be an adjustment.”

On the catcher situation –

“Right now, Beau Brooks, our catcher, was drafted. Dan is on a temporary contract until we figure out the situation with Brooks. We’ll find out more about that next Tuesday… I think Dan did a very good job. He works hard, he battles, and he’s a fun kid to have around.”

On decision to bunt with Kent Graham in the 7^th –

“I think you’ve got to tie it up. We’ve got to get a chance to get a single to tie the game. You have to play a little bit of small ball in this league – you can’t expect him to hit a shot to the gap, especially the way the game is going. We wanted to force extra innings and win it in extra innings, if we had to. I’d do it every time.”

Dan Coury, catcher:

On how it felt to get out there and play -

“It felt good. I didn’t do as well as I wanted to, but I got out there and competed.”

On being here on a temporary contract -

“I’m not trying any harder than usual. I always go as hard as I can every game.”

On Mike Adams -

“He had a lot of good off speed stuff. We were going with curveballs when we were ahead of the count, trying to get strikeouts. We used the fastball and changeup to get ahead.”

On the experience of playing for the Navs so far –

“It’s so much fun. This is a sweet stadium, with great people running the organization. I hope to stay here as long as I can.”

Mike Adams, starting pitcher:

On his performance –

“It wasn’t my best stuff, but I was getting by. Posted a bunch of 0s, waiting for us to strike, but it didn’t happen. I just wanted to give us a chance to win the game.”

On what was and wasn’t working –

“I was trying to get used to the balls at first, they were different from the balls we use at school. The seams are difference. Once I got into the groove, it was easier. My fastball was working well.”

On adjusting to the NECBL –

“Everybody in this league is the best hitter on the teams we’re playing all year. Every hitter 1-9 is the 3 or 4 hitter for their college team.

On his drafted Franklin Pierce University teammate, Scott Stavastano –

“He’s my roommate of 3 years. He got picked up in the 28^th round, which is later than we expected. It’s still good though, he said he’s going to get good money. We’ll see if he signs.”

On wriggling out of the 6^th inning jam –

“There was only one inning where I didn’t put someone on base, the 4^th. Every other inning, I was working out of jams. It’s nothing new – I did it a lot at school, too. You just have to bear down. (laughs)”

Mike Provencher, outfielder:

On the season so far –

“Not too bad, I’m feeling pretty good about things. We’re still trying to find the right combination of guys in the lineup. Once we get that settled, we’ll start rolling.”

On the experience of playing in Lynn so far –

“It’s great. The fan support is great, the field is nice, and the area is excellent. You can’t beat it –we can go hang at the beach during the day and play at a nice ballpark at night.”