Friday, May 2

Eagles Lambaste Lions for First Victory

The Canaan Eagles got solid starting pitching and consistent offense in this one, as they cruised to a 13-3 win over the Stratford Lions. The Eagles scored at least one run in each of the final six innings to methodically pull away. Canaan manager Jesse Carney seemed to push all the right buttons, as the Eagles defensive shifts and pinch-hitters played a big role in the victory.

Brandon Lynch sat the Eagles down 1-2-3 in the first, but did not find the same kind of success in the second. Connor Daley led off the inning with a ringing single to left. The Smith brothers, Jake and Eli, would keep the offense going. Jake drew a walk and promptly stole second base to put two runners in scoring position for Eli. The freshman first-baseman would deliver a two-run single, his first of three hits in the game, to give the Eagles an early 2-0 lead. The youth in the Canaan lineup continued the scoring, as Alan Leigh would drive in another pair of runs later in the inning to stretch the lead to 4-0.

A different family connection would aid the Eagles in the third, as the Daley cousins, Zack and Connor, would hit back-to-back doubles to start the inning. Jeremy Schichtle added a sacrifice fly, his first of two, and the lead swelled to 6-0. The Lions could not cut into the lead until the fifth inning. Alan Leigh came on in relief of starter Zack Daley, and struggled with his control. The Lions quickly pushed two across, but it could have been more. Despite coming off the mound, Daley continued to shut the Lions down by gunning down two runners attempting to score.

Joel Day came off the bench in the fifth and delivered an RBI single to left to increase the lead to 7-0. The Eagles would add a pair of runs in the sixth, including a solo home run to right-center off the bat of Connor Daley. Leigh would surrender only one run in the bottom of the frame, and the Eagles took a 10-3 lead into the seventh.

Jeremy Schichtle would connect with a two-run double, his fourth and fifth RBI's of the game. Schichtle would later score on an RBI ground-out by Jake Smith to make the lead an even 10. Connor Daley worked the final inning, striking out the side in the process, to preserve the win for his cousin Zack, who did not allow a run in his four innings of work.