Archive - Sports Article
May 20th, 2013
PAWTUCKET â Jackie Bradley Jr. is no longer on the disabled list. However, the promising outfielder remains in a holding pattern.
At least for the foreseeable future, Bradley will be subjected to a schedule that the Red Sox put together in an effort to ease him back into full-time duty. He missed nearly two weeks earlier this month due to tendinitis in his right bicep, an injury that he first noticed during Pawtucketâs road trip to Rochester and Buffalo late last month.
May 19th
LINCOLN ââNo offense to anyone on the card, but I'm here to steal the show!â
That was the sentence Thomas Falowo typed on his Facebook account on Wednesday morning, two days before the Pawtucket middleweight and Manfredoâs Gym productâs six-round fight on Classic Entertainment & Sportsâ âNew Eraâ card at the Twin River Event Center.
Those were bold words, considering Falowo was taking on one of the top middleweight prospects in New England in Hartford, Conn. power puncher Tylon Burris, but Falowo strongly backed up his words with arguably his most impressive performance to date.
This past Saturday was a busy day for the Rhode Island high school outdoor track & field circuit. Below is a list of how area participants fared.
BOYS
CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday â At Cumberland HS
Team standings
1. Bishop Hendricken 115; 2. East Providence 93; 3. LaSalle 64; 4). Central 57; 5. Coventry 54; 6. South Kingstown 43; 7. Chariho 41; 8. Cumberland 38; 9. North Kingstown 37; 10. Cranston West 30; 11. Woonsocket 15; 12. Hope 2.
Local placements
100: 1. Ryan Williams (East Providence) 10.90.
200: 1. Williams 22.20.
400: 3. Justin Andrade (East Providence) 52.80.
PAWTUCKET â It was deemed a terrific Sunday afternoon showdown between two of the premier pitching prospects in the minors today: Pawtucket Red Sox righty Allen Webster, called by Baseball America Bostonâs No. 2 hill prize, and Indianapolisâ righthander Gerrit Cole, the Piratesâ top overall prospect.
The pairing didnât disappoint, at least not early on. Through the first three frames, Webster had retired nine straight, the final four via whiff, while Cole had yielded a harmless, leadoff double to Brandon Snyder in the second.
May 17th
PAWTUCKET â A Red Sox-themed game of dominos broke out at McCoy Stadium on Friday afternoon, with the playing surface stretching from the plush green grass in left field to the PawSox clubhouse.
As the Pawtucket hitters took their batting practice cuts, pitchers Franklin Morales and Andrew Bailey were positioned in front of the home teamâs bullpen. The two injured arms were occupied with their long-toss program, though they made sure to stop every now again to check out the action in the batterâs box.
May 16th
PAWTUCKET â This comeback ran out of steam.
After falling behind by a 4-0 score and getting blanked for 7 2/3 innings by Gwinnett Braves righthander Omar Poveda, the Pawtucket Red Sox found a way to battle back in the last two innings off him and reliever Wirfin Obispo and nearly pull off an amazing victory.
But it wasnât meant to be for the PawSox, who soon found themselves trying to battle back from a 6-1 deficit in their final swings and ended up with a 6-4 loss â their fourth defeat in their last five games â on Thursday night before a small gathering at McCoy Stadium.
May 15th
PAWTUCKET â When the manager mentions âsmall crack in his boneâ in the same sentence as the playerâs wrist, itâs easy to dwell on the worst-case scenario.
Gary DiSarcina, however, stated that the Pawtucket Red Sox are in no rush to place first baseman/outfielder Mark Hamilton on the disabled list. On the same day that saw Hamilton honored as International League Hitter of the Week, the 29-year-old jammed his wrist while attempting to make a play in left field.
WOONSOCKET â Perhaps the only statistic Lincoln High skipper Andy Hallam didnât like on Wednesday afternoon came in the âLOBâ category.
The Lions may have stranded 11 base-runners, but everything else went the Lionsâ way in a 6-0 taming of Division I-North foe Woonsocket in the chilly drizzle and wind at Barry Field.
Senior southpaw Andrew Veiga whirled a stupendous, complete-game two-hitter with a mere walk and a whopping 13 strikeouts in keeping the Villa Novans at bay; actually, he surrendered only nine batted balls the entire contest.
You take what you can get.
With that mantra in mind, the NCAAâs decree to lengthen college basketballâs preseason is a welcome development in a sport where the run-up to the regular season barrels down on coaches and players like a fastbreak. Earlier this month, the governing body of collegiate athletics ruled that menâs programs can begin practicing six weeks prior to their first game.
The 2013-14 season is set to tip-off on Nov. 8, meaning teams can begin laying the groundwork in earnest on Sept. 27.
May 14th
PAWTUCKET â Fresh off a 6-2 swing through the International Leagueâs South Division, the Pawtucket Red Sox defeated Gwinnett by a 5-3 count Tuesday night before 3,596 fans at McCoy Stadium.
Making his first appearance on the mound since getting roughed up by Minnesota last Wednesday at Fenway Park, Allen Webster tossed five innings of one-run ball en route to picking up his second victory with the PawSox.
PAWTUCKET â Finally, a little clarification to âmanagerâs decision.â
For roughly seven minutes Tuesday, PawSox skipper Gary DiSarcina stood in his office and shed some light as to why shortstop Jose Iglesias was absent from the lineup for three consecutive days after getting removed in the top of the fifth inning of the May 4 contest.
It was fairly obvious that DiSarcina caught wind as to what some folks were passing off as the explanation to why Iglesias spent time on the bench. Such suspicions were way off base because they didnât come straight from the horseâs mouth.
May 13th
NORTH KINGSTOWN â The streak is still alive.
After playing five drama-free contests that were decided by nine or more runs, unbeaten Lincoln encountered its toughest test in nearly a month when the Lions trekked down to Ryan Park for a Monday night showdown with second-place North Kingstown.
And while the Lions were able to come away with a 3-2 win, it was far from easy, and it took eight innings and some daring baserunning from Casie Beauchemin to produce the game-winning run.
SCITUATE â Showdowns donât get any better than this â first place sitting on the line, ace pitchers dueling each other, and extra innings needed to decide the outcome.
For Tolman, victories donât get any better than the ones they nailed down on the road on Monday afternoon against Division II-North foe Scituate at Manning Field.
May 12th
PROVIDENCE â Thereâs a hearty dose of local talent on this yearâs baseball team at La Salle Academy. More precisely, there are five players whose contributions to date represent a key reason why head coach Geoff Marconeâs ball club is positioned near the top of Division I-North.
What makes this particular quintet so distinctive is that each of them brings something different to the field. In Cumberlandâs Caleb Gardner and North Smithfieldâs C.J. Dandeneau, the Rams are buoyed by a rock-solid 1-2 punch at the front-end of the rotation.
May 10th
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. â The creed that Daniel Bard swears by nowadays is simple enough.
Jams on the mound are going to arise â but how he reacts and responds to those situations is what matters most. Even the most successful professional pitcher can never be flawless, and therefore he must have an unflappable disposition when confronted with an inevitable first-and-second, no-out jam.
May 9th
PAWTUCKET â Tolman High head coach Neil Nachbar easily could have refused an interview on Monday night, especially given the fact his club had just suffered an unfathomable 3-2 Division II crossover loss to the South's marginal Warwick Vets contingent.
He nevertheless acquiesced, despite the fact his Tigers, at the time, fell to 10-2 overall and 9-2 in II-North and remained on the ceiling of the league standings.
May 8th
A little of this, a little of that âŠ
There are some sports writers and columnists who believe that one of the jobâs requisites is to put themselves in the shoes of a professional athlete. Itâs as if the power of the pen and computer grants these gatekeepers of the locker room the ability to read millionaireâs minds or to step inside their bodies.
And thatâs when the real trouble ensues.
CENTRAL FALLS â After dropping two straight, Shea High skipper Dino Campopiano has been trying to hammer home the honest truth: If his kids wanted to see any semblance of post-season action, they had to start winning â and fast.
Thanks to senior righthander Bryan Quinlan, the Raiders took their first step toward that ultimate goal Wednesday afternoon.
PAWTUCKET â Gary DiSarcina learned a valuable lesson during his first month managing the Pawtucket Red Sox â the importance of individualism.
Naturally, players who are on Bostonâs 40-man roster tend to warrant more attention, yet itâs important to remember the rest of the clubhouse inhabitants, too. To DiSarcina, itâs paramount to establish a set of guidelines with each player rather than have everyone fall under the same umbrella.
May 7th
CUMBERLAND â Cumberlandâs inability to get the big hit on Tuesday afternoon cost the Clippers an opportunity to pick up a big win.
The Clippers stranded 10 runners on base â five of them in scoring position â and saw La Salle use a three-run uprising in the top of the third inning and some strong pitching from Caleb Gardner to produce a 4-1 victory at Tucker Field.
The Rams, who are 10-1 in Division I-North play (and in second place behind unbeaten Bishop Hendricken) and have now won eight in a row, didnât need a big hit to take their 3-0 lead off Cumberland starter Rob Reedy.
