Wildcats lead off series 2-0

BY JOHN DECOSTE

Kings County Register

There are lots of cliches in sport, but the Kentville Wildcats will make do with three: the playoffs are a whole new season, you’re only as good as your last game and it ain’t over ’till it’s over.

After an underachieving 11-18 record and fourth-place finish in a regular season that ended with seven straight losses, many expected the Wildcats to simply roll over for the top-ranked Dartmouth Moosehead Dry in their playoff semifinal.

Instead, the Wildcats went into Sept. 9’s scheduled game three in Dartmouth with a 2-0 series lead.

The weather finally permitted the twice-postponed series opener to be played Sept. 4 in Dartmouth, and the Wildcats showed no rust, taking an early 4-0 lead en route ro a 6-1 victory.

Player-coach Jeff Lockhart had a two-run homer, Trevor Wamback a two-run single and Brad Steadman an RBI double for Kentville in support of Curtis Falls, who went eight innings for the win and combined with Pete Sonier on a five-hitter. Dartmouth starter Jason Bailey, who struck out 13 but allowed six runs on eight hits, took the loss.

September 5, the teams met at Kentville’s Memorial Park for game two, which saw the Wildcats score two in the eighth and two more the ninth to record a dramatic come-from-behind 7-6 win.

Kevin Daurie and Corey Kent pitched two scoreless innings apiece in relief of Wamback, who departed after five innings trailing 6-3, with Kent, who contributed a scoreless eighth and ninth, picking up the win.

Trevor Zwann took the loss in relief of Steve Nelson, though Craig Langille surrended the winning run, which scored on an error by Dartmouth shortstop Chris Goodie.

Kentville continued its game-one momentum with three first-inning runs for an early 3-0 lead, the runs scoring on an RB I single by Kevin Benjamin, an error by Goodie on Ian Lockhart’s grounder and an RBI groundout by Luke Smith.

Dartmouth got on the board on Joel Irvine’s fielder’s choice in the third, then Irvine scored on a Wamback wild pitch to make it 3-2. The Dry tied the score on Matt Thomas’s RBI single in the fourth, then took a 6-3 lead with three runs in the fifth on two hits and a pair of Wildcats’ errors.

Benjamin led an 11-hit Kentville offense with a pair of singles and three RBI. Ryan Brothers had two singles and two RBI, Les Berry contributed a double and single and Ryan Pearl also had two singles. Irvine had a double and two singles for Dartmouth, and Thomas added two singles.

Game three was rescheduled for Sept. 9 in Dartmouth, with game four Sept. 10 in Kentville. Game five is scheduled for Sept. 12 in Dartmouth, weather permitting, with game six Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Kentville and game seven (if required) Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. back in Dartmouth.