Big first inning helps Falcons to first win

Matt Metcalf
Posted 4/22/15

Coming into Thursday’s game against Cranston East, the Cranston West baseball team had compiled just six hits – four of which had come off the bat of centerfielder Gersham Rainone.

The …

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Big first inning helps Falcons to first win

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Coming into Thursday’s game against Cranston East, the Cranston West baseball team had compiled just six hits – four of which had come off the bat of centerfielder Gersham Rainone.

The Falcons’ bats didn’t exactly heat up against the ’Bolts – compiling just five hits – but a five-run first inning aided by two walks, two hit batsmen and two errors helped West to its first win of the season, 7-3.

The ’Bolts were in a tough spot right away, as right-hander Chrisdione Mendez hit Falcons’ leadoff hitter, Nik SanAntonio, to start the bottom of the first.

Mendez then walked Sam Franco and hit Matt Lonardo to load the bases with no one out.

SanAntonio and Franco came around to score on a pair of errors.

Connor Kiernan followed with a single – West’s only hit of the inning – that plated Lonardo and Rainone to make it 4-0.

The Falcons then made it 5-0 when Kiernan stole second with Matt Shapiro on third. The throw squeezed by second and into centerfield, allowing for Shapiro to cross home safely.

After the first inning, East settled down and played solid baseball, but the sloppy first inning unfortunately cost it the game.

“We had this discussion before the game,” East head coach Mike Walsh said. “We walked 14 guys in our first game, then 12 more against North Providence. Statistics show that, when we start walking guys, we’ll make errors. That’s on the pitching staff. We have to throw strikes. I thought (Mendez) did a good job after that first inning, but all of the innings count equal.”

Mendez settled in after the first inning, going the distance in a complete-game effort. The junior struck out four and allowed three earned runs in the game.

For West, it still wasn’t the most glamorous of performances, but it was certainly nice to get in the win column.

“Great to get a win, finally,” West head coach Rob Malo said. “We’ve been struggling to hit the ball. We were able to put the ball in play and, unfortunately, they didn’t make the plays today. That led to a big first inning for us. If they don’t make those errors, it’s a much different game.”

East battled after the first inning, plating a run in the top of the third thanks to the speed of centerfielder Mike Castillo.

Castillo got on when a sharp ground ball was mishandled in the infield. He then stole second base and came all the way around to score when an errant throw made it past a pair of players who were backing up second, trimming East’s deficit to 5-1.

But the Falcons minimized any thought of a comeback for East, tacking on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Lonardo drove in SanAntonio with a single, before Franco scored on a wild pitch, pushing West’s lead out to 7-1.

East put together one last rally in the top of the fifth – its best offensive inning of the game.

Senior Jorden Turner scored on a bases loaded walk by Jake Frost.

After the walk to Frost, West starter Hayden Parkes was taken out of the game after 4.1 innings pitched, as Chris Manfredo came on in relief to try to get out of a bases loaded jam.

Manfredo walked the first batter that he faced – Harold Corniel – which forced home Luis Paulino from third to make it 7-3.

After that, though, Manfredo clamped down and struck out the next two East hitters to escape the jam.

Manfredo then shut down the ’Bolts in the final two innings, as well, picking up the win, striking out three over 2.2 innings of shutout ball.

Parkes, who was making his first start of the season, put together a solid first outing, tossing 4.1 innings while allowing three runs, two of which were earned.

“Hayden threw the ball well today,” Malo said. “We’re kind of decimated with injuries. Travis (Collins) was supposed to start this game, but he broke his hand against Hendricken. (Parkes) stepped up and got into the fifth, then Manfredo did a great job. That was his first varsity action. I brought him into a tough jam with the bases loaded, but he worked through it.”

Despite a shaky first inning, Mendez’s start was encouraging for Walsh and East, who have struggled to put together quality innings on the bump.

“It’s the best start that we’ve had for our pitching staff,” Walsh said. “I’m hoping he can take this into his next start.”

Offensively for East, it was only able to turn out four singles for the game.

Leading the way for the ’Bolts was Turner, who ripped two singles, while Corniel and Alex Whitney also registered singles.

East, which is now 0-4 after a 15-4 loss to Pilgrim on Saturday, will look for its first win of the season today at 3 p.m. at Middletown.

West was scheduled to play at Coventry on Tuesday and Pilgrim on Wednesday, but results for those games were unavailable at press time. The Falcons will host Lincoln on Friday at 1 p.m.

After getting the first win of the season out of the way, West is hoping that its best baseball is yet to come.

“Some guys are still a bit frustrated and are pressing at the plate,” Malo said. “But we’re getting better and are making little adjustments.”

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  • willteasel

    There is a unconfirmed rumor that a petition is being drawn up to bring back some of the East Thunderbolts baseball greats and legends (Cantone, Stenhouse, Cahill, Maio, etc ) to come in and try and right this ship before it sinks.

    Thursday, April 23, 2015 Report this