by Henry Perkins, www.namur-angels.be
The Angels took the field in mid-week action this Thursday against the Borgerhout Squirrels. Capitalizing on one big inning and a solid pitching performance, Namur tallied their tenth straight victory.
Both Namur and Borgerhout got off to a slow start offensively as Angels’ starter Zachary Potter and Squirrels’ southpaw Wesley Verelst cruised through the first three innings. In this span each pitcher only relinquished one hit to opposing batters. It wasn’t until the bottom of the fourth that either team sent a runner home, but in this half inning the Angels scored big making up for lost time.
The Angels’ bottom of the fourth started with a single from right fielder Juny Gressman. Gressman’s stay on the base-paths was cut short as he was retired on a fielder’s choice that allowed center fielder Nicolas Migeot to reach first safely. The next batter, Vincent King, singled to right, which gave Namur runners on first and second with one out. This is where Squirrels’ starter Wesley Verelst lost his stride, and walked the next four Angels’ batters, forcing Borgerhout into a three run deficit. With still only one out and the bases loaded, Angels shortstop Henry Perkins doubled down the left field line, allowing two more runs to score, pushing the Namur lead to 5-0. After a run scored on a wild pitch and another came in on Gressman’s second single of the inning the Angels had advanced their lead to 7-0.
Namur added on a run in the fifth and the sixth, and a two out single by Jerome Sana that plated Adrien Guequet in the bottom of the seventh clinched the victory. The 10-0 final marked the Angels’ tenth consecutive win.
Namur pitcher Zachary Potter silenced the Borgerhout bats, allowing just four hits in seven innings while striking out 13. Squirrels’ starter Wesley Verelst took the loss in six innings of work and fanned six batters.
The Angels had eight hits on the day, and leading the way was Juny Gressman with two singles and one RBI. The Squirrels had four base hits on the afternoon, one of which was recorded by Yannick Gontier who also reached base safely in all three of his plate appearances.
{mrb-schedule:2009-05-23|2009-05-24|BE}