Dry evens series with 3-2 squeaker

BY JOHN DECOSTE

NovaNewsNow.com

The Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League playoff semifinal between Kentville and Dartmouth is tied at two games apiece after the Moosehead Dry held on for a 3-2 win Wednesday in Kentville.

In one of the best games played at Memorial Park all season, Dartmouth pitcher Steve Nelson got Kentville’s Ian Lockhart to line softly to shortstop with the tying run on first base in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the victory.

Nelson went the distance for the win, scattering six hits and striking out four in a solid pitching performance. Kevin Nichols, making his first start (and first appearance) of the series for the ’Cats, was almost as good, allowing three runs on eight hits before departing after facing one batter in the bottom of the seventh.

Joey Gaudet, called up from the Hantsport Shamrocks, was outstanding in relief, pitching the final three innings, allowing just one hit and keeping the Wildcats in the game.

Dartmouth opened the scoring with a run in the top of the third. Joel Irvine doubled and came home on Darren Doucette’s RBI single over second base.

The Moosehead Dry made it 3-0 with two runs in the fifth, the first run scoring on a Chris Goodie groundout and the second on Irvine’s RBI double, his second double of the game.

The Wildcats answered back in the bottom of the fifth on Ian Lockhart’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly but were unable to add any more runs, leaving a pair of runners on base.

Kentville made it 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Ryan Brothers singled, stole second and scored when Brad Steadman’s grounder to shortstop went through Irvine’s legs. It was Irvine’s third error of the game, and one of four Dartmouth miscues in all.

The Wildcats left one runner on base in the sixth, stranded two in the eighth and one more in the ninth, as Nelson proved equal to the task in all three innings in allowing his team to bounce back and tie the series after losing the first two games.

Luke Smith led the Wildcats with a double and single, the only Kentville batter with more than one hit. Brothers, Brad Steadman, Rob Shepherd and player-coach Jeff Lockhart, as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning, had one single apiece.

Irvine had a pair of doubles for Dartmouth, Chris Head and Greg West added two singles apiece, Matt Thomas tripled, Doucette had an RBI single and Chris Sperdakes a single.

Game five of what now becomes a best-of-three series goes tomorrow (Friday) evening at 7:30 in Dartmouth. Game six will be a 7:30 start Saturday in Kentville, with a seventh game, if required, a 7 p.m. start Sunday back in Dartmouth.