July 22, 2005 - Keene Swamp Bats vs. Manchester SIlkworms

KEENE SWAMP BATS vs. MANCHESTER SILKWORMS

Manchester, CT - The first power surge came from the Swamp. The second one from the sky.

The 1-2 combination staggered the Silkworms and eventually knocked them into their fourth straight loss Friday night at Northwest Park.

Lightning bolts sent both teams scattering at 8:30pm with a 1-1 count on Bryan Duplissie, who was leading off the seventh for Keene. The Swampbats had a commanding 5-0 lead.

Keene had five extra base hits, including a pair of triples and a two-run homer by former Silkworm Ryan Quintal. Troy Martin, another former Silkworm, was missing Manchester bats at a rapid pace. The righthander from UMaine struck out six and walked nobody over six innings, and held the Silktowners to just two singles - one by Demarcus Coats in the third and another John Fitzpatick in the fifth.

When a team has lost three straight, the last thing it needs is a visit from the NECBL's top team. Keene (26-8) is making a mockery out of the NECBL schedule, having now won eight in a row and 12 of their last 15.

Keene worked quickly, then let the elements take over. The game, which was called at 9:01 pm with six innings completed, took just 1:20 to play. The lightning was fierce and the rain that followed left the field unplayable.

Quintal, who hit .203 with 10 rbi's for the Silkworms in 36 games in 2003, hit the fourth homer at Northwest Park in the last three games in the bottom of the second, giving the 'Bats a 2-0 lead. Martin was 1-2, 5.64 as Quintal's teammate in Manchester after both player's freshman year. Both players have come of age in their third season in the circuit. Quintal is now hitting .290 with a pair of homeruns and 18 rbi, while Martin improved to 5-1 with a 0.58 ERA on Friday. Martin has surrendered just 25 hits over 46 innings, allowing just three earned runs all year.

Shane Byrne drove in the third Keene run off losing pitcher Jesse Darcy (0-1) in the fourth with an rbi single and tripled home another in the fifth. Thomas Pennino, who tripled leading off the sixth, scored the fifth and final Keene run when Jeremy Bellotti knocked him home with a single.

Manchester (18-17) travels to Pittsfield Saturday for a double header with the Dukes. Bobby Blevins (5-1, 2.09) and Matt Reilly (2-3, 4.03) are the probable starters.

Wins vs Keene Rare
Keene holds a 16-3 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams. The Swampbats came back from a 3-0 deficit on June 13 to beat the Silkworms 4-3 in Keene. Manchester's first ever NECBL win came against the 'Swampbats, in Keene none the less, on June 10, 2000.

Managing the Stars
Friday's game featured managers who will represent their respective divisions in Sunday's NECBL All-Star game in Newport. Keene's Mike Sweeney (third season) will manage the North squad while Anthony DeCicco (fourth season) will call the shots for the South.

Extended Stay
Dave Garcia, father of Silkworm infielder Drew Garcia, has spent the past week in Manchester watching the Silkworms. Dave was planning to go back home to El Cajon, CA on Wednesday, but decided to stick around through the week to take in the NECBL All-Star game in Newport on Sunday. The younger Garcia, who came into the game with a team high .327 average, will be starting at second base for the South.

Dave Garcia owns an insurance agency in the San Diego area and says the all-star game is "a special event and I wouldn't want to miss it." He has also taken in some Manchester history, investigating the Cheney lore and visited the State Capitol in Hartford. He has also take advantage of Rails to Trails, which he has run on every morning during his stay. He has taken note of how green everything is - something he is unaccustomed to in dry Southern california. Dave Garcia was drafted in the first round of the January draft in 1978 by the Yankees, and played two and a half seasons in their system in Fort Lauderdale and Oneonta, NY. So how does a Southern California guy access the NECBL? "The level of play is good. The pitching is solid," Garcia said. "It's very competative. It doesn't look like any one player is dominating."

Dave and Belinda (Drew's Mom) have two other sons - - one older and one younger. -- Aaron, who is a senior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Greg, who is a junior in High School.

Veteran Void
Injuries have taken a toll on the 2005 edition of the Silkworms. The team has lost pitchers Pat Egan, John Slusarz, catcher Brian Hansen and outfielders Greg Smith and Tim Binkoski to injury and utility infielder Frank Cipolla to student teaching obligations. All six players were NECBL veterans coming into the season.

Game & team information
Date: July 22, 2005	Division: New England Collegiate Baseball League
Location: Manchester, CT	Field: Northwest Park
Attendance: 502	Starting time: 7:00 PM

Score
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Swamp Bats	0	2	1	0	1	1	-	-	-	5	11	0
Silkworms	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	-	0	2	0
Game called in the top of the 7th due to lightning storm

Box scores / batting
Keene Swamp Bats	AB	R	H	RBI
Garrett Olson (SS)	4	0	0	0
Michael Fisher (2B)	3	0	0	0
Andrew Davis (3B)	4	1	2	0
Bryan Duplissie (DH)	3	1	1	1
Shane Byrne (RF)	3	0	2	2
Dan Ford (1B)	3	1	1	0
Ryan Quintal (LF)	3	1	1	2
Thomas Pennino (C)	2	1	1	0
Jeremy Bellotti (CF)	3	0	3	1
Keene Swamp Bats Totals:	28	5	11	5

Manchester Silkworms	AB	R	H	RBI
Andy Parrino (SS)	2	0	0	0
Will Rce (CF)	2	0	0	0
Keith Connors (RF)	2	0	0	0
John Fitzpatrick (1B)	2	0	1	0
Gil Zayas (3B)	2	0	0	0
Steven Malinowski (DH)	2	0	0	0
Andrew Garcia (2B)	2	0	0	0
Matt Cooney (C)	2	0	0	0
Demarcus Coats (LF)	2	0	1	0
Manchester Silkworms Totals:	18	0	2	0