Late rally propels Blue Sox to get first win of the season against Waves
By Mary Merensky
HOLYOKE - The Valley Blue Sox rallied late in the game on Saturday to secure their first win of the season, beating the Ocean State Waves 6-5.
“When you have traffic on the bases late in the game, it just creates some pressure, and we were able to take advantage of some of that,” said head coach John Raiola.
Anthony Tirado scored for the Blue Sox in the first inning after he was walked in the leadoff spot and quickly found himself on third base off an Anthony Grabau groundout and a single from Trevor Harmon. Eddison Esquivel hit an RBI groundout off of Waves pitcher, Trey Tefler, that sent Tirado home, making it 1-0 Blue Sox.
Despite getting an early start, the Blue Sox gave up the lead when Jackson Hinchliffe walked Gavin Marchese, and Thomas Meluskey hit an RBI double, which allowed Marchese to tie the game.
Ocean State carried their momentum into the fourth inning, with Brodey Bitove hitting a double to center field and Jack LaRose getting walked. Kalen Applefield then doubled, which had Bitove and LaRose adding another two runs to the board, giving the Waves a 3-1 lead.
Gavin Marchese continued the scoring by batting in a single that sent Adonis Mitchell and Kalen Applefield home, extending the lead to 5-1.
For the first seven innings, the Blue Sox were unable to generate a whole lot offensively, with their only run coming in the first and being held to just two hits by Ocean State.
Heading into the eighth inning, it seemed like the Waves were ready to run away with the win, but the Blue Sox refused to quit, finding a way to battle back from being down four runs late in the game.
The Waves had a shaky start to the inning, which included an error by the shortstop and Max Marchetti hitting Tirado with a pitch, putting two men on base for the Blue Sox. After a wild pitch from Marchetti, both runners advanced and were in prime scoring position as Grabau was up to bat.
Grabau knew he had to get the ball in play and with a groundout to first base, Scott Donahue closed the gap to 5-2. Harmon followed it up by hitting a line drive out to center field, bringing Tirado home as well, making it a 5-3 game.
The Waves were unable to regain control as Marchetti hit Esquivel with a pitch and walked Chris Carson, loading the bases for the Blue Sox. Andrew Jacobs was put on the mound in place of Marchetti, but it did not help the Waves as another wild pitch gave Harmon the opportunity to score.
Brett Rogers was up to bat when he grounded out to first base, allowing Esquivel to score the game-tying run heading into the ninth.
Jake LeFrancois was brought in to pitch for the Blue Sox and he kept Ocean State at bay, giving the Blue Sox a chance to secure the win in the bottom of the ninth.
To start the inning for the Blue Sox, Nico Soul singled to third base and after an error by the Waves, Soul made his way to second. With a runner in scoring position, Tirado hit a line drive to walk it off, marking the first win of the summer for the Blue Sox in a sensational comeback.
“Getting the first [win is] important…we’re all pulling for each other, and the best part is, we get to play three more games in a row…hopefully we get a little momentum from this,” said Raiola.
The Blue Sox will play their first away game of the season as they take on the Upper Valley Nighthawks on June 7 at 5 p.m.