Baseball Recap: Putnam Comes Up Short

Putnam had lost six straight on the road, but on Saturday they dropped their record down to 3-17 to make it seven. They lost 16-4 to the Windham Whippets. The Clippers were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Whippets earlier this season, when they won 6-4.

Nick Devlin was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Ben Gustafson, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run.

As for Windham, their win ended a seven-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-16. Considering their hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

On Windham's side, Armani Crespo made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Crespo has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April.

In other batting news, Axel Ortiz was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Windham's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-16 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Jomar Natal, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Putnam will square off against Ledyard at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Windham, they will challenge St. Bernard at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Whippets are facing the Saints at the right time seeing as the Saints are stuck on a five-game losing streak.