Tag Archives: Jim Conway

June 8, 2011 · 9:42 pm

Newburyport Defeats Bishop Fenwick 3-0 to Reach D3 North Finals

The scoreboard at Fraser Field at the end of the game Wednesday afternoon.

Pitcher Ryan O’Connor (#14) in the midst of the celebrating Clippers afterwards.

(Lynn) Newburyport is on its way to the D3 North finals on Saturday at LeLacheur Park in Lowell at 2PM after defeating Bishop Fenwick, 3-0, on sunny Wednesday afternoon at Fraser Field.

The Crusaders (18-7) were limited to four hits by Ryan O’Connor and only one of their runners reached second base.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth.

The Clippers (20-5) run came as Sam Barlow singled up the middle, stole second, and scored on Colby Morris’ single to right center.

Newburyport added two insurance runs in a wild sixth inning. Brett Fontaine and Jim Conway started the inning with singles. Drew Carter tried to sacrifice bunt the runners along but ended up with a single when the catcher (Gianni Esposito) chose to go for the force at third and was unsuccessful. That loaded the bases.

Drew Carter’s sacrifice bunt attempt turned into a key hit in the Clipper 6th.

Connor Wile fouled off a number of pitches before drawing a walk that forced in Run #2 (Brett Fontaine).

With one out, David Cusack tried a safety squeeze that nearly worked but went foul. Then the runner (Jim Conway) he was trying to squeeze got picked off third. Now taking a normal swing, David singled through the right side of the BF infield and speedy Drew Carter scored from second with Run #3.

With Ryan O’Connor pitching, those three runs held up. Ryan had six strikeout victims including the last batter of the game – Gianni Esposito.

Yankee Hall-of-Fame pitcher Lefty Gomez was credited with saying, “The secret of my success was clean living and a fast outfield.” That quote came to mind when I reflected on this game. Newburyport outfielders David Cusack and Sam Barlow made running catches that saved runs.

David Cusack had a great catch in the second and an RBI in the 6th.

David’s was in the second. Mike Cipriani was on first when Jake Bugler hit one deep into the right center gap. David brought that shot in on the dead run. On the Fraser Field turf that ball could easily have been a double with a run scored.

Sam’s turn for a great catch was in the seventh. This time it was a liner by Mike Cipriani that Sam speared on his way toward center field. If that ball gets into the gap it’s a double and possibly a triple. That catch was especially important because the next batter (Jake Bulger) hit a single.

In my opinion, those two outfielders saved at least two runs. In a 3-run win those plays were crucial to say the least. David Cusack was back at the top of the order after missing two games with an ankle injury.

Colby Morris, Brett Fontaine, and Jim Conway had two hits apiece for Newburyport.

Jake Bugler singled in the 7th

Dave Ruggiero, Mike Davis, Jake Bugler, and Kevin Church had the hits for Bishop Fenwick.

Ryan O’Connor is 9-2 for the season and has 109 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings. He’ll be attending Bentley University this fall.

The last time the Clippers played at LeLacheur Park was two years ago and I was there. They played Georgetown and lost a heartbreaker. This link is to my pictures from that game. Georgetown is in Division 4 this time around.

(I put together my own stats and take my own pictures. Mistakes happen ….. unintentionally.

Mike LaChance – BF starter

Colby Morris reaches 3B in the fifth inning

Matt Mottola tagged out at 3B in first inning

David Cusack and Brett Fontaine after game

Six-Run Fifth Gets Newburyport into the D3 North Semis over Austin Prep 8-3

Brett Fontaine collects his batting helmet after a collision with catcher Joe Barry at home in the fifth inning. Brett pitched a four-hitter and drove in two runs for Newburyport.

Ryan O’Connor congratulates Coach Bill Pettingell for a win in his last home game.

(Newburyport) Newburyport broke open a 2-2 game in the bottom of the fifth with six runs and went on to defeat Austin Prep, 8-3, on Lower Field at NHS on Monday afternoon.

The victory in the quarter finals puts the Clippers (19-5) into the D3 North semi-finals against Bishop Fenwick on Thursday at a neutral site.

Junior Brett Fontaine had a lot to do with the win as he pitched a complete-game four hitter and drove in two runs in the game-deciding fifth inning.

That fifth inning will be remembered as very good or very bad depending on where your loyalties were located. The Clippers will remember the six runs, five hits, and the successful execution of a suicide squeeze. For the Cougars (13-9), it’ll be the wild pitch, four walks, and mishandling the suicide squeeze.

In that decisive fifth inning, Austin Prep coach Steve Busby opted to have starter Ryley MacEachern intentionally walk Matt Mottola to load the bases and pitch to Brett Fontaine. That didn’t work out so well for the Cougars as Brett singled to right and the Clippers fourth (Colton Fontaine) and fifth (Ryan O’Connor) runs came in.

Later in the fifth, Connor Wile put down a suicide squeeze bunt with Brett Fontaine heading full-speed from third. Cougar catcher Joe Barry blocked Brett away from the plate before he had the ball and the umpire awarded Brett home. Sam Barlow followed with a walk driving in the sixth run (Jim Conway) of the inning and boosting Newburyport’s advantage to, 8-2.

Ryley MacEachern breaks into a home run trot after his shot over the left field fence in the sixth inning.

Ryley MacEachern led off the sixth with a homer over the left field fence to make it 8-3 but the Cougars went quietly (one hit) the rest of the way.

This was the last home game for Newburyport’s 600+ win coach Bill Pettingell. You could see/hear that he was fired up during this game.

The weather was excellent with plenty of sunshine although I’m not sure that the left fielders for each team were that thrilled with the sun being directly in their eyes.

Austin Prep put up a run in the first inning. Bobby Batchelor walked and reached third after a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice. He scored easily on Ryley MacEachern’s double to right center.

Sam Barlow tallies Newburyport’s first run in the third.

Newburyport received two gift runs in the third inning. A two-base throwing error by left fielder Mark Mezzina followed Clipper singles by Sam Barlow and Colby Morris. Sam scored on the error and Colby reached third. He later crossed the plate on a MacEachern wild pitch.

The Cougars got a gift run in the fifth inning. The visitors from Reading, loaded the bases on a single (Chris Bundock) and two walks. Jon Saurman (pinch running for Chris Bundock) reached home on a Fontaine wild pitch.

Newburyport erupted for six runs in the bottom of the fifth and that was enough to carry them in with an 8-3 win.

Catcher Connor Wile made a nice play on a popup in the fourth inning.

Brett Fontaine – complete game 4-hitter

Winning pitcher Brett Fontaine had seven strikeouts to go with three walks.

Newburyport had eight hits including two each by leadoff batter Colby Morris and left fielder Jim Conway. Colby also scored two runs.

Ryley MacEachern had two of the four Cougar hits, including the long home run to left in the sixth inning, and two RBI.

Austin Prep stranded five runners.

(I collect my own information and take my own pictures. Inaccuracies happen unintentionally.)

Ryan O’Connor reaches home in the fifth

Newburyport viewers

Bobby Batchelor scores AP’s first run

Matt Mottola beats the throw home in the fifth inning

Brett Fontaine’s Complete Game Two-Hitter Leads Newburyport Past Rockport 3-0

Newburyport first baseman Ryan O’Connor touches first to record the last out in Newburyport’s 3-0 win over Rockport.

Brett Fontaine – complete game 2-hitter

(Newburyport) It didn’t take any late-game heroics for NHS coach Bill Pettingell to get Win #601. What it took was a 2-hit shutout from Brett Fontaine and sound fundamentals.

Newburyport (8-3) defeated Rockport, 3-0, on a drizzly Monday afternoon in Cape Ann League action.

Brett Fontaine went the route for Newburyport and retired the final eight Vikings in order.

The sound fundamentals appeared in the 5th and 6th. The 5th inning piece kicked in after Rockport (4-5) had it’s first two batters on. A strikeout and a force out put runners on first and third. Rockport then sent the runner from first hoping to get the runner home from third during the attempt. The Clipper infield reacted properly and Mike Tupper ended up getting caught between third and home for the final out.

In the sixth, Colby Morris led off with a rope past third. The Clippers, with Ryan O’Connor at bat, executed a perfect hit-and-run play. Ryan’s grounder toward the right-side hole could have been a double play except that Colby had taken off for second and the second baseman headed toward 2B to cover as the ball went into right field.

Colby Morris scores Newburyport’s second run in the game in the sixth inning.

Defensive replacement Mike Petrino rushed in on the grounder seeing that the runner from first was going to try for third. Unfortunately for Rockport, the ball got past Mike and this allowed Colby to came all the way around and score Newburyport’s second run. Ryan reached 2B on the play and was driven home by Matt Mottola’s single off the fence in left.

So, in one inning the Clippers prevented a run and in the next they manufactured two runs in both cases with excellent execution of baseball fundamentals.

Viking starter Tucker Meredith gave up six hits and had no walks. He also had one of the two Rockport hits. In the 4th inning, he flied deep to David Cusack in center.

Newburyport scored a run in the first inning with a single (David Cusack), double (Colby Morris), and an RBI fielder’s choice by Ryan O’Connor.

Colby Morris – paced Newburyport with two hits

Colby Morris paced the Clippers with two hits.

Jim Conway reached the fence in center for a double.

Matt Mottola put a ball up the screen in left but was thrown out trying to get two bases out of it. He did drive in a run with that hit, though.

Sam Scatterday was gunned down trying to steal second in the third inning.

Keady Segel made a nice catch on a popup in front of the Clipper dugout in third. The last time I saw him he was in goal for the Viking soccer team versus Lynnfield in tourney soccer at Manchester-Essex. The pink shirt was gone but the sun glasses weren’t……..even on an overcast day.

There is a lot of luck involved in seeing games. The weather can’t be trusted. Will it rain or won’t it?

Your luck also has to extend in finding out that there even is a game. Today the Newburyport Daily News had last week’s schedule listed, the Gloucester Times didn’t list the game at all, the Rockport schedule on High School Net had the game at 3:45, and on the same site the Newburyport schedule had it at 4:45! How lucky do you feel??

(I collect my own stats and take my own pictures. Mistakes are made unintentionally.)