ATHOL — The Chuck Stone Little League Sinclair team can hit the ball, averaging 11 runs per game heading into its matchup against Quabbin.
Uncharacteristically, though, the bats were silent for Chuck Stone on Friday night, generating only two hits in their 9-0 loss to Quabbin in Jimmy Fund tournament play.
Quabbin starter Jaxon Warburton wasn’t overly dominant either, but pitched a solid 3 ⅔ innings by giving up only one hit and two walks while striking out five.
“He kept us off balance,” said Chuck Stone coach Tony Vitello. “He had some off-speed stuff and you know, we’ve been hitting good coming in and we didn’t hit well tonight. We have to do a better job if we are going to win.”
Carter Chambers relieved Warburton and pitched the final 2 ⅓ innings, striking out three.
Chuck Stone’s best chance of scoring came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Colton Chapman walked, took second and third on wild pitches and then Alex Lavigne walked to set runners on the corners with no outs. Chambers settled though, getting Matthew Vitello and James Williams to strike out swinging and Jaxon Haggett to line out to short to go unscathed.
“We had a little threat there in the last inning and I think the kids were getting pumped up,” said Tony Vitello. “Credit to them, (Chambers) shut us down after that.”
Chuck Stone’s other scoring chance came in the third inning when Oliver Johnson started off with a ball down the first base line for a triple. His team couldn’t make anything of it though, generating a double play between first and home on a ball hit back to the pitcher by Trevor Bullock.
Quabbin broke open the game with a five-run fifth inning to go up 9-0. After getting the first out of the fifth, Chuck Stone reliever Matthew Vitello allowed the next six batters to reach base and five of them to score before getting the final two outs of the inning.
This came after he came in with the bases loaded for starter Morgan Softic in the third inning and struck out the one batter he faced to keep Quabbin from scoring.
“I thought we were flat today right from the get-go,” said Tony Vitello. “After a couple of those balls that weren’t necessarily hard hit fell in (in the fifth inning) and a couple close plays, I think the kids started getting down on themselves and we try to pump them back up in that situation, but it’s tough.”
Vitello went 1-2-3 in the fourth inning, striking out No. 8 hitter Landon Bissonnette and No. 9 hitter Sean Corso-Smith looking.
Softic pitched a clean first inning, but struggled with his command at times, allowing seven walks and throwing seven wild pitches. He struggled through the third inning, allowing three walks and three hits, including a two-run triple to Quinn Geary to put Quabbin up 4-0.
The loss moves Chuck Stone to 2-2 with two games left to play before the single elimination tournament. They will travel to Winchendon on Monday. Quabbin improved to 2-1 with the win.