Grand night for the Spirit

Note: Sorry this is so late. I had one of those horrifying only-in-Boston T experiences on my trip back --- at various points throughout the journey I thought I was going to be stuck for the night either in Haymarket (scary) or in West Lynn (much scarier). Using only Yankee ingenuity, I pieced together an after-hours travel itinerary that got me back to BC. Woooo. Anyway...



SPIRIT WIN 8-1!!!

First and foremost: ALEX TREZZA is coming back tomorrow! That’s just huge news for this team and for this offense, which really needs a lift.

On to tonight’s game…

Matt Bishop had another masterful outing for the Spirit, twirling a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and earning the victory as the bats came alive in an 8-1 win over the Can-Am Grays. In the game, Darren Blakely hit two home runs including a grand slam and Mike Torres added a solo shot to contribute to the victory.

Blakely’s solo blast in the 4^th inning gave the Spirit a 1-0 lead which held up until the sixth inning, when Blakely made a play in the field that wound up being a real turning point.

With 2 outs, Mayke Cabrera singled off of Bishop. Then, Brian Baker hit an absolute rocket to left field which appeared destined to clear the fence for a 2-run blast, but Blakely miraculously got to the ball and knocked it back into play. Cabrera scored, but at the end of the inning it was 1-1, not 2-1 Grays. That was undoubtedly the play of the game.

In the top of the 7^th the Spirit responded right away, scoring the winning runs. Gary Roche led off the inning with a screaming single to left field. Then BJ Weed singled to right to put runners on first and second. Two outs later, Carlos Rodriguez hit an RBI single to left to put the Spirit on top. Mike Torres added an insurance run with a line drive off the first base bag which scored another to make it 3-1 North Shore.

Darren Blakely hit a mammoth grand slam into the parking lot in right centerfield to put the game way, way out of reach in the top of the 8^th, as the Spirit lit up Grays newcomer Adam Hanson. In the 9^th, Frolian Ramirez fared no better on the hill, giving up an opposite field home run to Mike Torres on an awkward-looking swing to contribute to the final score of 8-1.

Bishop retired the last 8 men in order to seal the complete game victory, continuing his outstanding start to the season. His record is deceptive (2-1), but his ERA is stunning: going into today’s game it was 0.46 and it’s probably up to about 0.5-something now. He definitely was a star in today’s game. But the player of the game has to be:

Darren Blakely, for his 5 RBI, the first Spirit grand slam of the year, and a tremendous defensive play which really swung the game for the Spirit.

Game 2 tomorrow, and Trezza’s back! Roll on!