Islanders snap slide
Strong pitching, defence, timely hitting key win over Chatham Ironmen in Summerside
The Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders combined strong pitching, defence and timely hitting to get back on the winning track. Starter Jordan Stevenson, who earned the victory, and Brody McDonald combined on a shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Chatham Ironmen on Saturday night.
The New Brunswick Senior Baseball League game was played at Queen Elizabeth Park’s Legends’ Field as part of the Summerside Area Baseball Association’s annual opening day schedule. Stevenson worked the first five innings, before McDonald started the sixth and recorded the final six outs. McDonald was also a key contributor offensively as he delivered a pair of run-scoring singles, including the gamewinning
RBI that plated Taylor Larkin with the game’s first run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Shortstop Dillon Doucette followed with a two-run double to plate Grant Grady of Freetown and Mill River East native Jesse MacIntyre for a 3-0 Charlottetown
advantage.
After Larkin led off with a walk, Grady reached on an infield error, and MacIntyre loaded the bases with an infield single. McDonald plated Kyle MacDougall, who led off the bottom of the sixth with a single,
to close out the scoring. Ironmen starter JF Neveu, who gave up three earned runs in six innings, took the loss.
Defence
The Islanders, who improved to 2-4 (won-lost) and snapped a three-game losing streak, turned three highlight-reel double-plays, which drew loud applauses from the crowd. In the top of the second inning, second baseman Jesse MacIntyre cleanly fielded a hard-hit grounder, threw for the force out at second and Dillon threw a strike to McDonald at first base.
In the third inning, Stevenson handled a come-backer, threw to second for the force out and Doucette completed the 1-6-3 double-play. Third baseman and Summerside native Brady Arsenault snagged a line drive in the top of the fifth inning, and McDonald dug the throw to first base out of the dirt for the second out after a leadoff single. The Ironmen, who blanked the Islanders 7-0 in Charlottetown on May 22, dropped to 4-3.