Groton, CT – The goal was to finish 8-4 in what was deemed the “most important two week stretch of the regular season,” as the SteepleCats prepared to play twelve games in a row without a scheduled day off. Despite a close call or two with the omnipresent summer showers, the SteepleCats had played every game up to this point and were just one win removed from their expectations. Having won two straight in dominant offensive performances against Laconia and Vermont, the ‘Cats returned to the road Saturday night to visit the Mystic Schooners. Mystic was in the midst of a dramatic tailspin, having lost eight straight to drop to fifth place in the Western Division at 8-10. The teams had met just a few days earlier on July 4 at Joe Wolfe Field. Backed by NECBL Pitcher of the Week Cameron Copping’s dominant two-hit performance across seven innings, North Adams took home a 3-0 shutout to even the season series at one game apiece. Clayton Kuklick’s squad was loose and ready to go with two well-deserved days off just around the corner, searching for its first three-game winning streak of the season. Come first pitch at Fitch Senior High School at 6:30, the newly invented SteepleBall was back in action, having taken its act to Connecticut for the first time in 2011. For those of you unfamiliar with this phenomenon, SteepleBall is “the energy and enthusiasm that creates an attitude of being an unstoppable force.” It’s been a source of team bonding and cohesion created by Kuklick to bring the players closer together as they look to climb out of last place and make the postseason for the tenth straight season.

There was no score until the fourth inning when Schooners catcher and number four hitter Joe Hudson led off against Cody Kopilchak with a single. Through the first three frames, both offenses had put up matching lines with a single, a double, and a walk. Kopilchak then walked the next hitter John Murphy before Brett Doran laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners that the ‘Cats left-hander fielded off the mound and fired to first. Gabe Ortiz scored Hudson with an RBI groundout to shortstop Mike LeBel and Nicolas Ferraresi made it 2-0 with an RBI single to bring in Murphy. Despite a Hal Landers single to put runners at first and second, Kopilchak escaped the inning after the leadoff hitter Steven Mayer grounded out to Marc Magliaro at second.

North Adams went down 1-2-3 in the fifth as Schooners’ starter Craig Schlitter had retired six straight. Schlitter was given some extra cushion when his second baseman Kevin Casey led off the home fifth with a single for his second straight base hit. Kopilchak then began paying close attention to him, and sent a pickoff throw up the right field line past Sam Russell that rolled out of play beyond the first base dugout. Home plate umpire John Keegan awarded Casey third base, putting Mystic’s third run just ninety feet away with nobody out. Kopilchak struck out Christian Griffiths for the first out before Hudson rolled a 3-2 offering deep in the shortstop hole that pulled third baseman Cameron Griffin off the line. After retrieving the ball, Griffin sent a string throw to first for the second out as Casey crossed home to make it 3-0. Following a four pitch walk to Murphy who quickly stole second, Kopilchak (0-3) fanned Doran looking to close the book on his outing after five decent innings.

Schlitter (1-1) went back out for the top of the sixth and induced a fly out to left field off the bat of leadoff man Chantz Mack. LeBel then scorched a line drive home run to straightaway center that just cleared the wall, his first of the season and just the team’s seventh. Schlitter then settled down and set down Jacob Daniel and Justin Leeson to close out the inning. The SteepleCats best and final chance to score came in the seventh off the first Schooner out of the bullpen, Matt Doyle. Russell started things off with a single into center field which brought up Griffin as the tying run. Assistant coach Matt McCarty later said that off the bat, it looked as if Griffin’s shot left-center would clear the fence for a game-tying home run. But the ball was not carrying well that night, and Griffin’s shot came up short as left fielder David Perkins ran back to the warning track to make the catch. Steven Zavala then hit a hard flyball to center for the second out before Mike Zavala walked to put the tying runs on base. Magliaro then followedup with an inning-ending flyball to center.

The SteepleCats would then be set down in order in the eighth and ninth by tall right-hander Anthony Kliniskie, who preserved the 3-1 victory for his first save of the season.

Notes: Frank Morris (RHP, Seton Hall) delivered another terrific performance out of the bullpen and pitched the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. The fireballer allowed just two hits and a walk as he upped his streak of scoreless innings to 8 in four relief outings dating back to June 29.

After two days off, the SteepleCats (10-16) return to action on Tuesday night in Danbury at 6:30. Make sure you listen to this showdown of Western Division rivals by accessing the TeamLine link at the bottom of the team’s newly designed website. To learn more, visit www.steeplecats.com