Canton A’s get back on winning track

With improved weather, the Canton A’s raised their record to 3-5 and are now sixth in the Cranberry League baseball standings. The week ended on a high note when first-year A’s player Chuck Erickson clubbed a 350-foot grand slam over Memorial Field’s right field fence to give the A’s a come-from-behind, 4-3 win over Plymouth in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday.

A hot hitter for the A’s, Erickson, a Mansfield resident, had several extra base hits during the week, in which the A’s beat Brockton 7-1 and Rockland 9-4. A’s head coach Kee Arguimbau said the team also had a week full of excellent starting pitching, which he believes is one of the cornerstones of his team.

Mark Nelson was the winning pitcher in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, thanks to Erickson’s grand slam. Nelson pitched seven innings and gave up three runs (one earned) and struck out three batters. Erickson also hit a double, and third baseman Joe Belmosto ended the game with three well-played ground balls.

The team’s 7-1 victory over Brockton was the first outing of the season for Tim Bonham, who pitched four innings of three-hit ball. Reliever Tyler Hitchcock pitched the remainder of the game, allowing no hits. On offense, John Garabedian hit a two-run homerun, Belmosto had two hits, Erickson contributed a double, and Chris Jenny had two hits and an RBI.

Alec Palioca pitched a complete-game win over Rockland, as he struck out eight and gave up only four hits. Erickson had three RBIs, including a triple. Other key hitters included Brian Williams, Alex Rossi and Steve Delanian with two hits apiece, Garabedian with a triple, Canton’s Pat Bogue, who drove in the A’s first run.

In other action last week, the A’s lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Weymouth on a controversial third strike and an unearned run late in the game, spoiling a great outing by starting pitcher Brian Bodjiak, who struck out four and limited Weymouth to four hits over six innings.

The A’s have a busy schedule with several upcoming road games. The team was due to play Brockton at home on Monday, June 20, and then travel to Brockton on June 22, to Weymouth on June 23, and to Hanson for a Sunday doubleheader on June 26, beginning at 1 p.m.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jun 22 2011. Filed under Beyond CHS, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.