Baseball Recap: Northampton Takes a Loss

Northampton extended their losing streak (dating back to last season) to 14 on Tuesday, dropping their season record down to 0-12 in the process. They fell 14-9 to the East Longmeadow Spartans. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Spartans this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 12-0 back in April.

As for East Longmeadow, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games.

For East Longmeadow's part, Mason Ruel looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Ruel has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Max Carlin was a standout: he got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He has become a key player for East Longmeadow: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 3-7 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Colin Maruca, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.

Coming up, Northampton will face off against Belchertown at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Orioles will roll in looking for their 11th straight win, something the Blue Devils surely won't give up without a fight. As for East Longmeadow, they will square off against Minnechaug Regional at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.