Reading Bulldogs

Reading vs. Arlington  8-11-13 at Endicott College (Game One) 

Arlington (1)   Reensterna 2-1, Pizzaro 4-1. Lennane 4-0, Way 3-1, Cunningham 2-1, Perkins 0-0, Brown 3-0, Friedman 3-0, Bradlee 3-0, Mansfield 2-1, Totals   26-5 

Reading (4)– Hartwell 2-0, Oringer 3-0, Talis 3-0, Taylor 3-2, Padovani 3-2, Bingel 2-0, N. Conti 2-0, Sitarz 2-1, Halsey 3-1 Totals 25-6 

Arlington   100 000 0  -1

Reading    030 000 x  -3 

Triple: Sitarz 

WP- Boyle

LP-  Curran  

Wrap:  by Jeff Pierce Daily Times Chronicle 

The Bulldogs escaped the opening game of the post season with a 3-1 victory over Arlington at Endicott College on Sunday night, in a game they were on the verge of losing all night. With the win in game one of the best of three series, the Bulldogs were able to take a series lead for the first time in their four year history. Their prior series wins all involved coming back after losing the opening game. The Trojans entered the league the same year as Reading but this was the first year they qualified for the playoffs. Arlington wasted no time in getting their playoff legs in the first when they loaded the bases with one out and a run already across. However, in the first of three critical double plays, Nick Conti started a 6-4-3 twin killing to limit the damage. The Bulldogs lone offensive attack was started in the second inning when Mike Taylors sky ball landed untouched on the turf when it was lost in the lights by the right fielder. Dante Padovani singled but after a sacrifice bunt and a pop out the Bulldogs needed a clutch hit. Those two out hits were provided by Colin Sitarz with a triple to right and John Halsey with an rbi single. Bulldog pitcher Sean Boyle was put in jams in both the fourth and fifth innings with some sloppy infield plays and two walks of his own. However in each case with the lead run on base he was bailed out by a nice defensive play. In the fourth Hank Oringer fielded a hot shot, tagged the runner coming back to third base then threw across the diamond for the second out to end the threat. In the fifth the Trojans had the bases loaded and no outs but again it was Oringer fielding the ball at third. He threw home to Halsey for the force out and he fired to first to complete the double play. Boyle who had to battle all night, extinguished the final Arlington threat himself in the seventh with the tying runs on base, by striking out the Trojan's leading hitter to end a tense night on the mound. " It wasn't pretty out there", noted Manager Matt Morrison, "our defense gave it to them and then took it back on a few occasions tonight". " The key play in the game was the double play turned by Hank (Oringer) and Johnny (Halsey). It looked like we were in big trouble there in the fifth". Morrison appreciated Boyles effort first and foremost, " He was our MVP tonight he made the tough pitches when he needed to and induced a lot of infield grounders. They actually only hit one hard ball off him tonight". The series resumes with an early start time (5:30) at Summer St Field in Arlington on Monday.  

Reading vs. Arlington  8-13-13 at Endicott College (Game Three) 

Arlington (2)   Reensterna 3-0, Bradlee 1-0,Pizzaro 4-2, Way 3-1, Perkins 3-2, Lennane 4-1, Freidman 3-1, Brown 3-0, Cunningham 3-2, Mansfield 3-0 Totals   30-9 

Reading (5)– Hartwell 3-1, Oringer 4-3, Talis 3-0, Taylor 2-0, Cataldo 0-0, N. Conti 3-1, Sitarz 2-1, Bingel 2-0,  Padovani 2-1, Crehan 2-1  Totals 23-8 

Arlington   100 000 1  -2

Reading    013 100 x  -5 

Doubles: N. Conti, Pizzaro, Perkins

Triple: Sitarz 

WP- Pedrotti

LP-  Robinson  

Wrap:  by Jeff Pierce Daily Times Chronicle 

The Bulldogs took the deciding game in the three games series with Arlington on Tuesday night 5-2 , advancing to the league semi-finals for the third straight year. With the win the Bulldogs moved to 7-1 at their home away from home at Endicott College. "We play well here, the turf makes it a speed game and we are fast team at the top of the order and the ground balls bounce true here which plays to the strength of our infield defense" said Coach Morrison. Reading did not have long to dwell on their double digit loss the evening before in Arlington and with a suddenly short staff it looked like it was going to be an uphill fight to put away a team that blasted three home runs the day before. Morrison had only two live arms available due to injuries and other circumstances. He chose Brian Pedrotti who has been used primarily as a closer the past two seasons. "Brian is a very competitive player who was an All-Conference pitcher in college (UMass-Dartmouth). I knew he was the type of guy who had the ability and the attitude to pitch in this circumstance". After the Trojans went up 1-0 in the first the Bulldogs tied the game in the second on a leadoff double by Nick Conti, a sacrifice bunt followed by Dante Padovani's sacrifice fly.  "This is how we play the game, and when we execute the basics, we usually win" said Morrison. In the third the Bulldogs displayed more small ball skills with a walk to Darren Hartwell followed by a hit and run single by Hank Oringer (3 hits) who then stole second. Zac Talis nicely grounded to the right side to being home a run.  With two outs Conti then beat out a hit to the shortstop scoring a run and Colin Sitarz tripled to deep left scoring Conti who stolen second. " We scored three runs with only two balls hit to the outfield" said Morrison, "all with our legs and hitters being smart and clutch". Pedrotti allowed nine hits but they were scattered and he was aided by the team executing its fourth double play in the last two games at their home field.  In the fifth, with runners on first and second and one out, the Trojans cleanup hitter hit a shot to Oringer at third where he stepped on third and threw across to first for the inning ending out. After escaping that threat the Bulldogs pushed across their fifth run in the bottom of the inning on Oringers rbi single scoring the catcher Paul Crehan. Pedrotti finished off his complete game outing after allowing a meaningless run in the seventh and propelling Reading to the semi finals once again. "Brian looked in control at all times tonight making the pitches when he had to and staying ahead in the count. He came up big for us when we had limited pitching options in an elimination game" said Morrison.  The Bulldogs now begin a best of five series against the defending champion Andre Chiefs at Malden Catholic on Wednesday at 8 PM.  

Reading vs. Wakefield Merchants  8-1-13 at Morelli Field

 

Wakefield (9)-  Tarantino 4-1, Searles 5-3,  Ramsey 5-0,Gendron 3-2, Losanno 3-1, Davison 4-3, Barry 3-2, Bundock 2-0, Sorrentino 2-0, Murray 4-2  Totals 35-14

 

Reading (3)–  Hartwell 4-2 Oringer 4-1, Talis 3-1 N. Conti 3-1, Taylor 2-2,  Padovani 3-1, Sitarz 3-0,  Wolfsberg 3-0, Halsey 3-1  Totals 28-9

 

Wakefield  000 621 0   -9

Reading    300 000 0   -3

 

Doubles -Conti, Searles

Triples- Losanno

Home Runs- Taylor, Barry

 

WP- Fisher

LP- Boyle

 

 

 

Wrap: by Jeff Pierce Daily Times Chronicle

 

The Bulldogs ended a rough stretch of five straight games with a blowout loss for the second straight night, going down 9-3 to the Wakefield Merchants.

 

The Bulldogs (15-10-2) could have essentially wrapped second place and a first round bye by going 3-2 for the week, instead they lost four games and in the last two gave up 24 runs and 30 hits.

 

It did appear early that they were going to come back strong from the prior nights (15-4) shellacking when they put up a three spot in the first against Stoneham's own Peter Fisher.

 

In the first Nick Conti had doubled home a run to deep center then Mike Taylor bombed a 380 ft home run to left center field to give the Bulldogs the early jump.

 

In the pivotal bottom of the third inning the Bulldogs loaded the bases with one out and it appeared the game could be won right there with a base hit. Instead Fisher gave the Merchants some momentum by retiring the last two Bulldog batters.

 

Wakefield took momentum from the deft escape and batted around in a six run inning on run scoring extra base hits from Scott Searles (double, 3 hits), Bobby Losanno (triple) and John Davison's third hit of the night.

 

The Bulldogs only had one threat the rest of the night but again Fisher got out of a jam in the fifth leaving runners on second and third.

 

The Bulldogs leave Thursdays loss reeling down the stretch and with pitching woes for the first time all year as they saw their team ERA move almost a full run (.78) in a week.

 

The Bulldogs return to Morelli on Sunday afternoon to play the Melrose Americans as they still have the playoff bye in their control.

 

 

Reading vs. Melrose Americans  8-4-13 at Morelli Field

 

Reading (5)–  Hartwell 4-3, Oringer 4-1, N. Conti 4-1, Padovany 4-0, Gganon 2-0, Wolfsberg 2-1, Halsey 3-1, Z Conti 2-2, Kelley 2-0  Totals 27-9

 

Melrose (3)-  Ma. Adessa 1-0, Smeglin 3-0, Gray 3-2, Perry 3-3, Mi. Adessa 3-3, Powers 3-0, McConnville 3-1, Kalfopoulos 3-1, Esposito 3-1, Fusco 3-2  Totals 29-11

 

Reading  001 022 0  -5

Melrose  000 003 0   -3

 

Doubles – Z. Conti, Hartwell, Mi Adessa

 

WP- Padovani

LP- Fusco

 

 

Wrap: by Jeff Pierce Daily Times Chronicle

 

The Bulldogs (16-10-2) broke out of their three game losing streak with a rain shortened 5-3 victory over the Melrose Americans on Sunday afternoon allowing them to keep control of the final bye position with two games left.

 

With six games in eight days the Bulldogs went to one of their top hitting position players, Dante Padovani for the important start.

 

The versatile Padovani who was both a position player and occasional pitcher for Bentley College this past Spring, pitched five shutout innings before allowing three runs in the sixth for his first victory of the season.

 

The game was moving very quickly through the first four with Reading holding a 1-0 lead on a Zac Conti double whom then scored on an infield single and overthrow.

 

In the fifth the Bulldogs went up 3-0 on a Nick Kelley sacrifice fly and a Darren Hartwell rbi single.

 

Hartwell who is the league's top three in five offensive categories including second in batting average (.404) had a big day with three hits, a double, two steals, rbi, and threw a runner out at the plate from centerfield.

 

Then in the sixth the Bulldogs scored what turned out to be the winning runs on rbi hits from Ryan Wolfsberg and Zach Conti.

 

The runs turned out to be huge when Melrose scored three times in the sixth to cut the lead to 5-3.

 

The torrential rains followed after the Bulldogs were retired in the seventh, and the game called after 20 minutes when the field was deemed unplayable.

 

The Bulldogs faceoff with Lexington on Tuesday night at Lexington HS which will essentially decide second place and who get the bye into the semi-finals.

 

 

 

 

Reading vs. Mooney Dental Tanners  7-30-13 at Ferullo Field 

Reading (4)– Buitkus 3-0, Oringer 3-0, Talis 4-1, N. Conti 4-1, Taylor 3-0, Padovani 3-2,  Gagnon 2-1, Crehan 2-1, Bounopane 2-0 Totals 26-6 

Woburn (5)  Burnham 3-2, Brown 3-1, Ruxin 4-2, Manley 2-0, Lentini 3-3, DNapoli 1-0,Porter 3-1,  McDonald 3-0, Cuozzo 2-0 Totals   24-9 Reading     004 000 0  -4Mooney     300 110  x  -5 Doubles: Burnham, Conti 

Doubles: Burnham, Conti

WP- Bishop

LP-  Levine  

Wrap: by Jeff Pierce Daily Times Chronicle

 In the rematch from the prior evening's thriller, it was Mooney Dental (8-12) that turned the tables on the Bulldogs winning 5-4 with a late inning that broke the deadlock. Woburn trotted out the league leader in ERA (.52) Jon Bishop and combined that advantage with their biggest hit output on the season (9) to make it difficult on the Bulldogs all night. The Tanners scored three times in the first when the first five batters reached safely including Joe Burnham's leadoff double. Carlton Lentini (3 hits) knocked in the final run of the inning to give Mooney what is usually solid lead with Bishop on the mound. The Bulldogs were putting good swings on Bishop and broke through with a four run outburst in the third inning to take the lead. Zac Talis had a two run single and Mike Taylor knocked in Talis after Nick Conti's double advanced him to third. Woburn scored the tying run in the fourth on Chris Brown's sacrifice fly and then scored what ended up being the winning run in the fifth off of Bulldog reliever Zac Levine. With one out Lentini bunted to get on, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and then after Levine had a big strikeout, another wild pitch scored Lentini with the lead run. This turned out to be the third time on the season and second time in three days where the Bulldogs allowed the winning run to score on a two out wild pitch. The Bulldogs had one more threat in the sixth when the first two batters reached but they failed to bring in the tying run from third with less than two outs. Bishop finished strong for his fourth victory when he retired the last 6 batters, three of which were on strikeouts.