NEFL stays alive in playoffs with win over Sharks

Jacob Marrocco
Posted 7/28/15

New England Frozen Lemonade - Shields Post 43 kept its postseason hopes alive in the losers’ bracket on Sunday afternoon at La Salle Academy, defeating the J2 Design Group - Post 22 Sharks for the …

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NEFL stays alive in playoffs with win over Sharks

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New England Frozen Lemonade - Shields Post 43 kept its postseason hopes alive in the losers’ bracket on Sunday afternoon at La Salle Academy, defeating the J2 Design Group - Post 22 Sharks for the third time this season, 10-4.

NEFL was knocked down to the losers’ bracket by South Kingstown - Post 39 in a 9-5 loss in the opening round, but bounced back with an all-around effort to live another day.

NEFL started its attack from the opening frames, keeping J2 off the board until the fifth after most of the damage was done. After Elvis Pimentel struck out looking to begin the first, James Meizoso reached on an error. Elijah Brown drilled a single into right centerfield, moving Meizoso to third with Brown reaching second on the throw in. Austin Lamaire walked to load the bases for designated hitter Ryan Morris.

Morris lined a bases-clearing double down the left field line to give NEFL an early 3-0 lead.

The power kept coming in the next couple of innings. After Tyler Perry lined into a double play on a hit-and-run, NEFL’s momentum looked like it would slow. Pimentel kept it going, though, when he roped a shot into the batting cages for the game’s first home run to put NEFL up 4-0 in the second.

“When you work hard, the result is there,” Pimentel said.

NEFL kept producing results in the third. With one out, Morris continued his impressive day. The lefty crushed an opposite-field home run into the second row of the parking lot to pick up his fourth RBI of the day and push the advantage out to 5-0.

“When I drive the ball, it’s actually towards the opposite field,” Morris said. “Yesterday [against South Kingstown] off the lefty I wasn’t really seeing the ball well. I was swinging at a lot of first pitches, so today I was seeing a few pitches and then putting a good swing on it. I guess you could say I saw the ball better today.”

Zach Bacon followed up with a single up the middle, moving to second on a stolen base. With two outs, newly inserted Chris Reid smacked an RBI single into left field to plate Bacon for a 6-0 cushion. Reid took the lineup spot of NEFL shortstop Alex Lefebvre, who left the game in the second inning after apparently aggravating his hamstring while legging out an infield single. He did not return, but was icing his leg on the bench.

NEFL starting pitcher Dave Simmons did his part to keep the Sharks at bay in the first several innings. Only one J2 runner reached scoring position in the first four innings off Simmons. J2’s Drew Brady had the only base hit in that span, a single in the first before he was caught stealing to end the inning.

“I was usually working on my arm slot and how I was releasing,” Simmons said on how he bounced back from a rough start against Senerchia a week ago to shut down the Sharks. “I let my anger [against] Senerchia get to me, with the umpires and the bad calls. However, today I was just more calm and ready and focused to throw.”

The Sharks got on the board in the fifth after an errant throw to second base from third baseman Lamaire skipped into right field and allowed Nick Sissan to score. With runners at first and third, catcher Tyler DiPetrillo threw out his second baserunner of the game before Drew Ross struck out looking to end the inning.

Simmons cracked a little bit in the sixth, but his high school teammate was there to help him stifle the Sharks. After a wild pitch allowed Mark Halloran to score, Ryan Farrell then picked up an RBI groundout to bring the Sharks within 3.

That’s the closest they would get, though, as Jesse Holland was brought in for relief after Simmons’ 5 2/3 innings of work. With Sam Ostrowski on second with two outs, Holland took only five pitches to escape the inning with a pop-up to second base.

Holland went 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

“I guess that’s just kind of my job, to come in in relief [and] kind of just close the door in situations like this,” Holland said. “So that’s where I’m most comfortable, that’s where I do the best. The pressure kind of motivates me more.”

“We stay reppin’ Vets,” Simmons said with a smile.

NEFL’s offense helped create separation in the sixth to effectively halt the Sharks’ comeback attempts for good. Pimentel and Meizoso proved to be a productive tandem again, picking up back-to-back singles to put runners at first and second with one out. Brown then sent an RBI single into left to bring the lead out to 7-3.

Lamaire registered an RBI single of his own to bring home Meizoso from third, with Brown scoring on the same play after a wild throw to first got into foul territory. With its six-run lead back, NEFL added one more on Bacon’s RBI base hit to right to sit comfortably ahead 10-3.

J2 added a run on a fielder’s choice in the ninth, but Holland got Halloran to fly out to end the game three pitches later.

NEFL advanced to play R&R Construction - Post 18 at McCarthy Field in West Warwick at 1 p.m. today. NEFL enjoyed success against R&R during the regular season, defeating it 6-5 on July 18 and 7-5 on July 21.

“We like playing with the pressure,” Meizoso said about NEFL having to play in do-or-die games for the rest of the playoffs. “I feel like whenever we play comfortable we get lackadaisical and make a lot of errors and don’t hit as well. So this [game against the Sharks] is the first game where we expected to get a big win, so we came in today, scored six runs in the first three innings. So we came out on top and hopefully we can get momentum for the rest of the playoffs.”

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