(New Scotland,NY) - The Pirates and Angels met on a balmy Friday night, with Pirates looking to avenge and opening day 13-0 shellacking by the Halos, back in April. This Pirate team looks like it's starting to play some of its best ball, as they took advantage of a tight strike zone, and batted around in the 1st inning against Ted Martin, who was really squeezed, to put up an 8 spot on the way to clipping the Angels' wings by a tally of 12-4.
A six-hit, 4 walk 1st inning did the damage as the first of Rick Knipper's three hits (2 doubles - 2 rbi) plated Jim Jasiewicz who got the ball rolling with a lead-off single and SB. Jim Ansel, Wayne Newcomb, EJ Seney and Jim Kidd followed with base knocks. After 3 walks, Martin was removed in favor of Phil Gadomski (Mash), who still got squeezed, but steadied the ship with an inning ending DP, and followed with 4 frames of 1-run ball on 3 hits with three Ks.
On the other side of the ball, Bill Farrell made like Houdini escaping jam after jam working out of traffic, including sacks full in the 3rd and 5th with no runs. He would bend but never break, scattering 13 hits over a CG effort with only one BB, allowing 1 earned run. Farrell was masterful stranding 11 Angels. The Halos came back in the 4th, as the Buccos opened the inning with consecutive errors followed by base-hits from Ted Martin and Mash. The Swashbucklers tacked on 3 in the bottom of the 6th to close out the scoring, with Knipper plating two more on a gapper for his 2nd two-bagger of the night.
Farrell pitch around a 1-out single by Ted Martin, to close it out in the 7th. Farrell's line: IP 7 H 13 R 4 ER 0 BB 1 K 0 HBP 1 Winning Pitcher
Jim Kidd played a great all around game, and has hit his stride with 2 hard hit shots, and playing the hot corner like Nettles! A back-hand stop of a Ralph Caputo scorcher destined for a double down the left field line, was turned into an unassisted force play that squashed a Halo's rally, as part of his 3 assist, 2 put-out, 0 error night!
R H E Angels 4 13 1 Pirates 12 13 3
WP - Farrell LP - T. Martin
Angels: Tom Maney 3-4, rbi, John Kalinski 3-4, rbi, Gadomski 1-4, rbi Pirates: Jasiewicz 3-4, 2 r, Knipper 3-4, 2 r 2 rbi, Ansel 2 ribi, Newcomb 2 rbi
You won't find a classier bunch than Tom Maney and the Angels. Good luck to them the rest of the way!