Danbury, CT – Through the first five meetings between the SteepleCats and Westerners this season, Danbury had won the scoring battle 39-9. Not exactly pretty. Yet that’s what they’ve been doing to seemingly every pitching staff they’ve encountered, with names like Opel, Morgan, and Horan standing as terrorizing fixtures in the middle of the lineup. Manager Jamie Shevchik’s been blessed with an exorbitant amount of talent that produced seven All-Stars and a bevy of .300 hitters. Combine these ingredients with the bandbox dimensions of Rogers Park, and you get a well-oiled and finely tuned machine that’s primed to return to the NECBL Championship. Last year, the Westerners were edged 2 games to 1 by the North Shore Navigators, after knocking off the SteepleCats in the Western Division Championship in the deciding third game at Joe Wolfe Field. But the teams have been headed in completely opposite directions since day one of the 2011 season, with the Westerners establishing themselves early while the ‘Cats sputtered to a 1-9 record after an eight-game losing streak. There have been few bright spots in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, surprising and disappointing given the SteepleCats’ prior run of success in the franchise’s first nine years in the league. For the first time ever, the playoffs are out of the question and although the ability to play spoiler is ripe for the taking, the team has been unable to capitalize and derail anybody else’s postseason plans. With steady rain in the forecast on Friday night in Danbury, the game was pushed back nearly an hour as the skies cleared and the night chilled. And with Trent Franzago set to make his first start in just over three weeks, the ‘Cats had officially begun their final weekend of the season.

Franzago allowed a leadoff single in the home first to Chris Waylock after the offense had been put down in order in the top half. All-Star Tanner Krietemeier reached first despite grounding into a fielder’s choice that retired Waylock at second. Following a Dane Opel double to put runners at the corners, cleanup hitter Chad Morgan continued his demolition of the SteepleCats with a sac fly to right that gave the Westerners an early 1-0 lead. Tyler Horan then flew out to Chantz Mack in left to end the inning. After Mike Aguilera worked a perfect second, the Westerners tacked on two more runs following a one out walk to first baseman Mike Ford. Franzago got third baseman Dillon Everett to fly out to center for the second out before right fielder Kyle Richardson blasted a two-run home run that made it 3-0. In the third, both teams were held scoreless after Franzago induced an inning-ending groundball to second by Horan after Morgan tripled to right center with two outs.

All-Stars Mike LeBel and Jacob Daniel instantly turned the momentum around in the fourth with back-to-back home runs over the left field wall to lead off the frame against Aguilera. The Westerners could not score in the next half inning despite consecutive two out infield singles by Everett and Richardson. Third baseman Cameron Griffin walked to lead off the fifth and advanced to second on catcher Mike Zavala’s single. Second baseman Corbin Blakey then hit a hopper to the left side that rolled underneath shortstop Chase Butler’s glove and into left field, scoring Griffin to tie the game at 3. With runners still at first and second and nobody out, Mack hit a high chopper up the first base line that was picked up by Aguilera, who promptly tagged Mack for the first out. However, the runners had moved to second and third, and the ‘Cats first lead of the night was right there. After LeBel flew out to shallow right, Daniel struck out looking on Aguilera’s 2-2 offering to end the inning and keep the 3-3 tie intact.

It remained tied until the seventh with Franzago still pitching like an ace, continuing his triumphant return to a starter’s role. After Richardson started the inning with a single, Waylock hit a slow grounder to third that Griffin threw into the outfield, thinking someone would be covering on a possible double-play turn. Krietemeier then ended Franzago’s (1-3) day with an RBI double that scored Richardson to make it a 4-3 ballgame. Things looked bleak when Bryant Guilmette came in from the bullpen with runners at second and third and nobody out. After a fielder’s choice groundout by Opel scored Waylock from third, Guilmette picked Opel off of first for the initial out of the inning. Krietemeier would not budge from third for the remainder of the inning after Guilmette struck out Morgan and produced a groundout to short from Horan that held the score at 5-3.

Guilmette could not repeat the feat in the eighth inning, as the Westerners sent 11 men to the plate. A 5-3 game was quickly forgotten as Danbury scored six times in the inning, highlighted by RBI singles off the bats of Kreitemeier, Morgan, Horan, and Butler. (Note: Morgan, Horan, and Butler all did it in order with 2 outs in the inning) The ‘Cats were kept off the board over the final four frames and despite a two-out double by Blakey and a Mack single in the ninth, LeBel would fly out to center off Jay Lynch to end the ballgame.

The SteepleCats (13-25) return to Joe Wolfe Field for the final four games of the 2011 Season. On Saturday night, the ‘Cats host the Keene Swamp Bats(24-14) at 6:30 pm. Adams Co-Op Bank is sponsoring a post-game fireworks show so make sure you head on out to the Joe for a fun night of baseball and fireworks with the SteepleCats! If you can’t make the game and want to keep up with the action, make sure you listen or watch by accessing the TeamLine link at the bottom of the team’s website at www.steeplecats.com