Senerchia gets back in win column, edges West Warwick

Matt Metcalf
Posted 7/2/15

After dropping three of its previous four games, Senerchia Post 74 got back in the win column on Tuesday night at Ray Pepin Field.

The Hawks jumped out to a 6-0 lead over the first two innings …

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Senerchia gets back in win column, edges West Warwick

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After dropping three of its previous four games, Senerchia Post 74 got back in the win column on Tuesday night at Ray Pepin Field.

The Hawks jumped out to a 6-0 lead over the first two innings against West Warwick Post Two before gradually seeing their lead decrease in the late innings.

West Warwick rallied for two runs in the fifth and then three runs in the seventh to make it a 6-5 game. But Senerchia’s Billy Roberge got Gabe Boisvert to roll over to second for the final out, stranding the tying run at third.

Although it was a less-than-ideal conclusion to the game, a win is a win.

“The bats have been a little cold and we got them going a bit today,” Senerchia head coach Chris Sheehan said. “That team played well, so it’s definitely a good win for us to get back on track.”

The game looked to be a laugher right out of the gates, with Jordan Carvalho singling home Brady Chant in the bottom half of the first. Timely hits and a lack of command from West Warwick southpaw Rich McNeil then led to a five-run second inning for the Hawks.

McNeil quickly retired Senerchia’s first two hitters in the second, but then he began to unravel, walking the next three hitters – Brian Cipolla, Roberge and Chant – to load the bases.

The trio quickly returned to the dugout when John Willette smacked a bases-clearing triple.

David Defusco followed with a double that plated Willette and Nico Salvaggio earned an RBI when his bases-loaded walk brought Defusco home.

Before McNeil could blink, Senerchia’s two-out rally produced five runs to push its lead out to 6-0.

If Senerchia was struggling at the plate entering the game, it didn’t show on Tuesday, with all nine players in its lineup reaching base against West Warwick.

Sheehan is hoping that the success will turn the tide a bit and instill some confidence in his hitters.

“We talk about the big inning, we want to prevent it defensively, so for us to come up with one on offense was huge,” Sheehan said. “Willette came up with a big hit and Defusco got the bat going a little bit, so it was definitely positive to see.”

Senerchia looked to be well on its way to a comfortable win, but West Warwick wasn’t ready to throw in the towel.

In the top of the fifth, West Warwick’s offense was finally able to get to Senerchia starter Anthony Cofone.

With one out in the inning, Cofone surrendered a base hit to Evan Barrera. McNeil would follow with a walk to put two on with No. 4 hitter Steve Gallagher coming to the dish.

Gallagher would deliver for his club, lacing a single that plated Barrera.

McNeil then touched home on a groundout by Tyler Boisclair, making it a 6-2 game.

Cofone picked up the win, working five innings of two-run ball.

However, the right-hander struggled with his command at times, walking four and yielding five hits as he worked out of the stretch for much of his outing.

“I don’t think he was as sharp as he usually is,” Sheehan said of Cofone. “But he battled through and gave us a good chance to win.”

Sheehan then brought in Roberge to take over on the bump in the sixth.

He would retire the side in that first frame while striking out two before running into some trouble in the seventh.

Back-to-back singles from Russ Caramagno and Barrera to lead off the seventh got the rally started for West Warwick.

With one out, Caramagno came in to score to make it 6-3 on an infield error.

An RBI single from Boisclair and an RBI groundout from Charlie Tashjian cut West Warwick’s deficit to just 6-5.

But with the tying run just 90 feet away, Roberge was able to induce the game-ending groundout.

Senerchia, which improved to 3-4, was set to take on winless West Warwick again on Wednesday night, but results were unavailable at press time.

There’s been a bit of a learning curve early on for the young Hawks’ squad, but they’re a win away from improving their record to .500, and Sheehan is confident that they’ll only continue to improve.

“I think the young guys are getting used to using the wood bats and seeing the caliber of pitching that they’re seeing,” Sheehan said. “But they’re getting better and we’re getting there – slowly but surely.”

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