The Gateway Regional baseball was seeing red – a lot of it – in yesterday’s shutout loss at home.
Three Hampshire Red Raiders pitchers combined to no-hit Gateway. The Gators lost 7-0.
Hampshire’s Keith Cotnoir and Ben Fischer pitched three innings apiece. Tyler Zdaniewicz closed out the seventh on the mound for the Red Raiders (2-0).
“We were trying not talk about (the no-hitter),” Hampshire coach Bob Dombrowski said. “We knew it was happening. In the fifth inning, we knew we had a shot.”
Gateway managed to put on base runners throughout the game, but could not muster a hit or two. Bartlett reached on an error to open the bottom of the seventh inning before Zdaniewicz struck out consecutive batters and forced a fly-out to end the game.
“You never know what can happen,” coach Dombrowski said. “Umpires are calling the strikes. Pitchers have to throw the ball over the plate, and worry about not walking anybody. It’s a challenge.”
While combining for the no-hitter, all three pitchers also tallied up a total of 10 strikeouts.
Gateway sophomore pitcher Calvin Dowers seemed unfazed by Hampshire’s extreme success on the mound. Dowers averaged one strikeout per inning through five complete. The Red Raiders biggest hit came in the third inning, a two-run double from LaRoche.
“It was a great job by Calvin Dowers,” Gateway coach Gary St. Peter said. “He was keeping an experienced hitting team off-balance. He was locating the ball well. We knew if he allowed a lot more hits, it would be a massacre.”
Calvin’s brother, Curtis, pitched the final two innings. He struck out one.
For Gateway, it was the team’s second straight loss to begin the season. The Gators lost their season opener at Lee, 10-2.
“We have to start swinging the bats with two strikes, and hopefully just put (the ball) into play,” coach St. Peter said. “If we don’t swing the bats, we don’t hit.”
St. Peter said much of the pressure would fall squarely on the shoulders of the team’s lone seniors – outfielder Greg Boylan and pitcher/infielder Kyle Bartlett. Those two and the rest of the offense will look to get on track Friday at Palmer.
