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Centaurs get the big hits
Getting the big hit when it matters. The Woodstock Academy baseball team did that against New London. It wasn’t there against Fitch.
“Rising to the occasion is what I have talked to them about. We just have to get better at being aggressive at the plate when we have the opportunities,” said Woodstock Academy coach Brian Murphy.
The Centaurs came into the week with an 8-5 mark, 3-2 in Division II of the ECC after a 4-2 win over the Whalers April 30 and a 3-0 loss to Fitch May 3.
The Centaurs had to show a little resiliency against New London. The Whalers held the 2-0 lead through the first 3 ½ innings.
That was until Woodstock Academy freshman Jonathan Smith came up with the big hit.
Luke Mathewson, Nathan John and Luis Miranda all singled to open the fourth inning for the Centaurs with Miranda’s single knocking home a run to cut the Whaler’s lead in half, 2-1.
Doug Newton tied it with a ground out before Smith ripped a shot to deep center for a two-run triple.
Smith almost wasn’t in the lineup for the Centaurs. He had been shut down for a couple of games due to arm soreness.
But Murphy pitched batting practice prior to the New London game and liked what he saw from Smith. “He was ripping the ball and |I took a gamble on him and the hunch paid off. That was a bomb he hit to center, probably 400-to-410 feet. It broke the game open and was really the dagger,” Murphy said.
He went the distance on the mound to raise his record to 5-1, struck out nine, walked one and gave up just five hits.
For the season, Mathewson sports a 0.71 earned run average with 45 strikeouts and only three walks. He has given up only 29 hits 39 1/3 innings.
It was a good win for the Centaurs who were coming off close losses to Waterford and Bacon Academy.
The Centaurs loaded the bases with two outs in the first on singles by Preston, Mathewson and John but a strikeout ended the threat.
Another threat loomed in the second on singles by Miranda and Tommy Li, but a pop out ended the opportunity.
In both the fifth and sixth innings, the Centaurs put runners on second and third with no outs, but four strikeouts, two in each inning, prevented the Centaurs from pushing a run across.
Li, Preston and Mathewson had two hits each for the Centaurs who had 10 hits, but struck out 12 times in the loss.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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