ORLEANS – Hits were bound to be at a premium on Wednesday evening as both Sandwich and Nauset handed the ball over to their respective left-handed aces, and both pitchers turned in their best.
The Blue Knights’ Will Crowther was sharp in his performance, striking out eight Warrior batters, but he was outdone by Nauset’s Chris Holcomb as the Black and Gold received timely hitting to slip past Sandwich, 4-1, in an Atlantic Coast League match-up beneath the lights at Eldredge Park.
Nauset southpaw Chris Holcomb is congratulated after his 4-1 win over Sandwich Wednesday night at Eldredge Park.
Phil Garceau/Capecod.com Sports
“This offseason I really worked hard and it got me in line,” Holcomb explained. “I got my mechanics in line so I’m able to get all my pitches ready every day and every game.”
Holcomb breezed through the first four innings, mixing up not only his pitches, but his location as well, striking out five hitters. Just as impressive was his ability to work from the stretch, as he induced double plays in the first and third innings to end the frame.
“Today he was unbelievable, he was able to mix up his pitches and was throwing his off-speed for strikes,” Nauset assistant coach Geoff Phillips said, filling in for manager Lou Elia. “He was challenging hitters to hit the ball and not trying to throw it by them. He was living low today, when you live low, you are going to be successful at this level.”
Holcomb went the distance, scattering five hits while surrendering just one run, which came across as unearned in the fifth inning.
The sophomore had complete command of his off-speed pitches throughout the game, often tossing his changeup or slider for first pitch strikes, keeping the Blue Knights lineup off balance.
“When they can’t go up there and expect a fastball down the plate and have to guess, that’s a huge advantage,” Phillips explained.
Crowther was just as impressive opposite of Holcomb, striking out four of the first six batters he faced.
The lone hiccup in Crowther’s afternoon came in the third inning, when an untimely error allowed nine-hitter Brennan Chisholm to reach base, setting in motion a three-run inning from the host Warriors.
From his position atop the lineup, Noah Grevelis followed up with a single, and Willy Boyd put Nauset on the board with a two-run double to dead center that was nearly tracked down by Sandwich’s Jack Decoste.
Nauset’s Noah Grevelis locks into an offering from Will Crowther as the Warriors downed the visiting Sandwich Blue Knights, 4-1.
Phil Garceau/Capecod.com Sports
Gerritt Merrill closed the scoring out with an RBI-groundout, giving Holcomb a three-run lead to work with.
“Anytime you make an error it hurts but there was still a bunch of plays we could have made or some timely hitting,” first-year Sandwich coach Brian Tomasini said. “That unearned run hurt but we still need to hit the ball.”
Crowther returned to his dominant self in the next inning, before exiting after six innings of work. The lefty allowed five hits to the Warriors, striking out eight and allowing three earned.
“He was injured earlier in the year and this was the second or third time he’s been on the mound since,” Tomasini explained. “He actually pitched a great game the other day so this is what we’ve come to expect. He’s pumping his fastball, throwing a lot harder than he used to, he’s getting his velocity back.”
The Blue Knights scored their lone run in the top of the fifth off the bat of Riley Sorenson. With Dan Perry standing at third base with two outs, Sorenson sent a groundball to short, which was bobbled, allowing the Blue Knights to cut the lead to 3-1.
The Warriors regained their three-run lead in the bottom of the inning as Sam Majewski launched his second standup triple of the game to center, scoring Grevelis.
Sandwich made noise in the top of the six, as Mike Manning (2-3) and Dylan Kay reached base with one out, but Holcomb forced a pair of flyouts to escape the threat.
— Story by Capecod.com contributing sportswriter Phil Garceau. Edited by Capecod.com Sports Editor Sean Walsh
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