Saturday, May 2

Bankers’ Balance Sheet Ends Up in the Black

Wilkinson Park – Saco-Biddeford Savings shook off another shaky start on the bases to break free from a pesky Maietta team en route to a 15-3 win Saturday.  Jon Vickers, Thomas Hodgkins, Chris Mitchell and Andrew Roberts all singled to start their half off the first but questionable coaching and great defense once again cost SBS as it did on Thursday.  While Mitchell’s single to left scored Vickers, Brian “Stop-at-Third-Or” Elsemore made a throw to home on the fly from deep left.  Eben B. was able to apply the tag and get the speedy Hodgkins who’d been sent by every SBS opponent’s favorite base coach.  Eben then alertly threw to third where Mitchell was doubled-up just prior to the tag.  In the bottom half, Max C. tripled home Jacob G. for Maietta.  SBS was then in the red after Elsemore walked, advanced on a wild pitch and then scored as first year player Tyler Goldberg took an 0-2 pitch to right for an RBI single (one of two hits on the day for Goldberg).  Andrew Roberts settled down, however, and struck out two before Jon Vickers made a nice unassisted put-out at second. 

If you blinked in the second inning or went to the concession stand for some Skittles, then you probably missed the entire frame as Cole Lemelin struck out the side in order.  Roberts returned the favor by striking out two. The third out was thanks to a fine defensive play by rookie Michael Kilmartin who snuffed out a grounder at first like the candles on his birthday cake – 3U.

For those fans waiting for some run production this season, SBS didn’t disappoint in the third (in fact, on the day, all SBS players reached safely via walk or hit and only Christian Guignard received a repreive from having to scamper around all the bases to home).  After Kilmartin and fellow newbie Jake Angell reached base safely, J-Vick (only a homer shy of the cycle) hammered a double to score Kilmartin.  Hodgkins (three hits; two runs; two RBI) then singled home Angell and a “hallelujah” resounded from the heavens with the game now knotted at three.  Like vigilante Mel Gibson, Roberts offered a little payback (check it out – it is a Gibson movie) as he drove in Hodgkins and Mitchell with the go ahead runs.

If the sun and seventy degree weather was unexpected on this day, then Xavier Gagne’s at-bat in the third was something straight out of the Twilight Zone.  With runners at the corners, Gagne roped a single to right to apparently score Roberts from third.  Umpires correctly ruled that the runner left early at first base and so Gagne and the runners were called back for what children in backyards across the United States refer to as a “do-over.”  Cooler than the other side of the pillow, Gagne took a two strike pitch and laced it to left for a double this time, scoring Roberts.  Kilmartin then recorded his first hit and RBI as Matt Gilboy trotted home from third.  After three outs, the bankers’ “assets” outweighed their “liabilities,” 9-3.

After striking out the first batter of the third, Roberts walked two batters before giving way to Chris Mitchell, making his first appearance of the season.  He quickly retired two Hard Hats to stop the threat.  Mitchell and the SBS defense then became stingier than Ebenezer Scrooge during a recession.  Kilmartin made a nice catch and throw from third and frosh Joseph Grant recorded his second put-out in as many games with a sure-handed catch in right field.  After Vickers put away a fly ball at short, all that was left was for Chris “Money” Mitchell to ring up the side in the fifth on strikes.