RallyNorth.net

Wed, Apr 23, 2008 11:00 AM @ Gloucester

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
Swampscott	0	0	2	0	1	1	1	0	5
Gloucester	2	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	6

Carlson's single helps Gloucester outlast Swampscott in eight innings

Thursday, April, 24 By Richard Slate
Staff writer

After watching his team cough up late leads in two straight losses, Gloucester junior second baseman Ross Carlson made sure it wouldn't happen a third time.

Carlson's RBI single with two outs plated junior first baseman Trevor Curley (2 for 4, two runs) to give the Fishermen a much-needed 6-5 upset victory over Swampscott (1-5) in eight innings at Nate Ross Field. With the win Gloucester improved to 2-4, a better record than the Big Blue, who came into the season as a Northeastern Conference favorite.

A promising start to the eighth inning dissolved for Gloucester as senior third baseman Andrew Fulford led off the inning with a walk then stole second and third base on consecutive pitches. After a Curley walk and steal put runners on second and third with no outs, Fulford was tagged out at home by Swampscott catcher Dan Nellhaus following Rick Gallant's ground ball to third. Ryan Cusick grounded out in the next at-bat, but then Carlson came through with the heroics.    

The Fishermen almost always seemed to be in control, nursing leads of 2-0, 4-2 and 5-3 before allowing single runs by the Big Blue in the sixth and seventh, sending it to extra innings.

"They (Swampscott) are a good team but we've been right there," said Gloucester head coach Joe Orlando. "Marblehead and Salem, we felt like we gave those games away. It's good to turn one around on our side. Timely hitting was the key today, that's what we haven't been doing lately."

Carlson provided the most timely hit.

"I just wanted to find a hole and hit it there," said Carlson, who was 2 for 5. "I was looking to make contact, (Swampscott pitcher Hunter Gordon) is one of the most feared pitchers in the league.

"It was the same kind of game against Marblehead the other day, back and forth, so we felt confident that we could win this one. When it came time to play this one, we weren't losing like that again."  

Fishermen junior pitchers Brett Smith (4<2/3> innings, three runs, two hits, four walks, four strikeouts) and Taylor Burbine (3<1/3> innings, two runs, four hits, three walks, strikeout) combined to beat the more heralded duo of Big Blue senior Peter Kinchley (6<1/3> innings, five runs, eight hits, walk, seven strikeouts) and hard-throwing junior Hunter Gordon (1<1/3> innings, run, hits, three walks).

Senior left fielder Zak Kendall led Gloucester offensively with two home runs and three RBIs. He cranked a two-run shot to right field in the bottom of the first, putting the Fishermen up 2-0.

Swampscott first baseman Justin Mitchell answered with a two-run double in the third to tie it before Kendall hit a solo shot in the bottom of the inning.

Gloucester added a run in the fourth (on a Carlson RBI double) to take a 4-2 lead before Big Blue center fielder Steve Moran (three runs) chased Smith with a solo home run to center.

Sophomore Conor Ressel came off the bench to deliver an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, putting the Fishermen up two (5-3) again.

In the sixth, Gordon added a solo home run to left center to cut the lead to 5-4. Two Gloucester errors in the bottom of the seventh allowed Swampscott to continue playing.

The schedule doesn't give Gloucester any favors as they travel to Danvers on Friday and then face Peabody on Monday.      

"It was a good win, we needed it," Orlando said. "Hopefully it'll carry over to Danvers. Maybe we'll get on a little bit of a roll, they know they just have to turn it around."

Carlson felt like it was a character-building win for his team.

"I think we're becoming a team more and more each game," he said. "We're playing like a team and that's what we need to do. The guys coming off the bench, that's what won us the game. Everyone contributed."