Newark Bears ~ Roaring Back

From the desk of:  THE BRICK CITY NINE





NEWARK BEARS:   GM is Smarter Than The Average Bear.  Changes Translate on the Field.  Two Straight Wins Earns Split With Pittsfield.


It looks like a week of roster changes begot their desired effects.  Bears' GM Mike Torrez spent the early part of this week shaking up the personnel on his team.  The moves paid off towards the end of the week as the Bears won their last two games; including tonight's game at The Den.  With these last two victories, they did well to salvage a split of their four game series against the Pittsfield Colonials after losing six games in a row.


Starting pitcher; Eric Eden didn't pitch past the fifth inning, but he did keep Pittsfield off the scoreboard.  He allowed five hits; no runs; two walks; and struck out three.  But as is becoming custom, Coach Raines looked to his bullpen to pitch the final four innings of the game.


The Bears opened the scoring in the second inning with an unearned run.  Tim Raines Jr. drove in the Bears' second run of the game in the third inning with a single, scoring Ryan Walsh who led off the inning with a base hit.  Pat Biserta led-off the fourth with a double and scored on an error by  Pittsfield's catcher on a sacrifice attempt.


With the game turned over to the bullpen, Newark's Chris Rollins; relieving Eric Eden; promptly allowed Pittsfield two runs in the sixth, but did finish out the inning.  Newark picked up their pitcher with three more runs in the bottom of the inning.


Pat Biserta reached on an E-5.  Billy Alvino's attempted sacrifice resulted in yet another error (E-1).  He reached first and Biserta reached third.  Biserta scored on Eric McGee's single.  A Brandon Watson sac-fly scored Alvino.  And Juan Martinez doubled home McGee for a 6-2 Bears lead.


Newark tacked on two more runs in the eighth inning when Juan Martinez bopped a two run home run; scoring Brandon Watson.


TJ Hose kept Pittsfield quiet over the seventh and eighth innings.  He allowed no hits and struck out one.  Then Coach Raines called on Anthony Pluta to pitch the ninth inning for Newark.  He allowed a lead-off single and got the second batter on a fly to left.  Pluta got out number two via the swinging strikeout but walked the next for a first and third situation (lead runner advanced previously - WP).  Finally, out number three came on a grounder to second base.


Final score:  Bears 8;  Colonials 2


Since hitting the frightful .500 mark, two consecutive wins gives the Bears a somewhat more eye-pleasing 18-16 record.  They are now tied again with Pittsfield for fourth place overall in the first half CanAm standings.


The Bears will spend the Fourth of July Weekend in N.Y. playing the Rockland Boulders.  Three games in their place will be capped off with a fourth game back in Newark.





Mike.BTB