PITTSFIELD -- In an early season battle for first place, it was the pitchers who did most of the work as Pittsfield Post 68 clipped North Adams Post 125, 2-1 on Friday.
On the mound, the three pitchers combine to give up just one earned run, while striking out 16 and walking just two. The pitchers also did the majority of the work from the batters box. Peter Gregory, Chase Preite, and Robert Jutras combined for five of the games eight hits and reached base six times. Jutras had the only RBI of the game.
Gregory and Preite got the starts for their respective teams.
"You could see it tonight, it was classic ace against ace," North Adams coach Bob Rumbolt said. "You couldn't ask for a better pitching duel."
North Adams was able to break through against Gregory in the top of the sixth inning, as Priete led the inning off with a single. Nate Alibozek layed down a sacrifice bunt to move him to over, and Robert Jutras hit a single up the middle to score North Adams' only run of the game.
Post 68 didn't wait long to respond. Preite hit Corey Decker to start the bottom half of the inning and Jutras came in to take over on the mound. He allowed a base hit to Rory Slattery before getting Brian Bonacquisti to hit a ground ball to short with runners on second and third. Tanner Bird fielded the ball and looked Decker back to third base. Bird fired to first to record the out, but Slattery was half way between second and third
"In that situation you're looking to score both runs," Post 68 coach Jim Mazzer said. "No matter how, just score the runs."
The two unearned runs was all Gregory would need the rest of the way.
"Both pitchers did their jobs tonight," Mazzer said. "Peter was mixing up his pitches. He had a good mix going tonight."
"Everything felt really well," Gregory said. "My fastball and off-speed were great."
Gregory struck out struck out seven and didn't allow a walk on his way to the complete-game victory.
"That's the key right there, not walking anybody," Mazzer said. "[North Adams] plays very aggresive. If you walk them, you're playing into their style of game and they're going to run and steal on you."
Preite was 2 for 3 with a double and the only North Adams run.
"[Gregory] is a good pitcher and he's got good stuff," Preite said. "He had two strikes on me and then I found the one I liked and drove it."
On the mound, he struck out eight and walked two. He also hit to batters with a pitch.
"My slider was a lot better than usual," Preite said. "I was hitting my spots with that and it was allowing me to be able to keep them off balance.
"[Gregory] got the only hit off of me, I just left him a fastball up. Good hitters will get that."
The loss was the just the second of the season for North Adams, and the second in two days. They will return to action on Monday against Southern Berkshire.
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Pittsfield 2,
North Adams 1
North Adams 000 001 0 -- 1 6 1
Post 68 000 002 x -- 2 2 1
Chase Preite (5), Robert Jutras (1) and Slayter Aubin (4), Conner Tworig (2). Peter Gregory and Brian Bonacquisti. W--Gregory. L--Preite. 2B-- Preite.
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