The Trophy Shop Blacksocks got a first-hand lesson in just that courtesy of Dave Kearsey Monday.
The veteran chucker shook off a sluggish start and pitched seven stingy innings to lead his Transmission Experts Blues to a slim 2-1 win in Game 1 of the Corner Brook Labatt Softball League best-of-five semifinal Monday at Ambrose O’Reilly Memorial Field.
Kearsey finished the night with just a single run allowed off eight hits to go along with 12 strikeouts.
After allowing a leadoff single in the first and a sac bunt, Chanel Allain ripped a double to the gap in right-centre field to score the first run of the game. However, centre-fielder Joey Wareham got the ball in quickly to second baseman Cory Hurley, who’s strong throw to third nullified Allain’s attempt for a triple.
The play seemed to give the Blues life and Kearsey went the rest of the way without allowing another run.
“The first inning was a little shaky for him, but he dug down after they got a couple of runners on,” Hurley said of his ace pitcher after the game. “They only got one out of that and that was the key. He got stronger as the game went along and I’d like to see what he would have been like in the 10th inning.”
Allain took a tough loss from the pitcher’s circle despite tossing a strong game of his own. Over seven innings, Allain surrendered just two runs off six hits while whiffing eight batters.
The only blemish on the evening for Allain was a two-run fourth which saw Joey Wareham tie the game before former Blacksocks infielder Wayne Hicks drove Keith Tucker in for the eventual winning run with a chopper up the middle.
Hurley admitted that with the two starters at the top of their game, Hicks’ clutch single was the kind of play needed to decide a winner.
As someone who’s played with Kearsey for a number of years, he knows that with a little more run support, the crafty veteran could be tough to beat.
“It’s going to be tough, but two runs aren’t going to win you a lot of games so lets get it up to four or five,” he said. “If Dave keeps pitching like he did, they aren’t going to get many runs off him. He plays all year to get his arm in shape and when it comes to the playoffs, he steps it up.”
Wareham finished the night 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Hurley was 2-for-2 with a stolen base.
Greg Birmingham gave Kearsey the most trouble with a 3-for-3 showing. Mike Kenny was 2-for-4 with a run scored in the loss.
Meanwhile for Allain’s part, the game came down to some timely hitting on the part of the Blues, something which proved hard to come by for his crew in the affair.
As in any series, he expects the team that can muster the most hits at the crucial times to emerge victorious.
“You saw it tonight, they strung four or five hits together and scored two runs. We strung a couple of hits together in the first inning and scored one run,” he said. “The way Dave and myself threw tonight, it’s going to be a close series.”
Game 2 of the series is slated for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Ambrose O’Reilly Memorial Field, followed by Game 1 of the semifinal between the Junior Buds and Scottie’s Convenience at 8:30 p.m. on Fred Basha Memorial Park A Diamond.
