Clippers show fight in nine-inning loss to Cov.
Harthan, Ray impress in loss to talented Oakers
CUMBERLAND — Jared Vadeboncoeur smashed a three-run home run in the fifth inning of Saturday morning’s Division I clash with Cumberland, but that wasn’t the Coventry junior’s favorite hit of the contest.
In the top of the ninth inning the Oaker catcher came to the plate with the go-ahead run in scoring position and proceeded to smash a double down the left-field line to score pinch runner Logan Downey. The Oakers added two more – unearned – runs that proved to be crucial because the never-say-die Clippers responded with a pair of runs in a 9-8 Oaker victory at Tucker Field.
“In situations like that you really have to keep your composure and just stay calm,” Vadeboncoeur said after going 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored. “You just wanted to look for a pitch you can drive. I got a couple of offspeed pitches and then I got a fastball and turned on it – good things happen. I like games like this because you have to earn your wins.”
“What was great about his game today was his hits were all timely hits,” Coventry coach Leo Bush said. “That’s what has separated us over the past couple of years to where we are now at 2-0. Those timely hits and driving in guys when they’re in scoring position are the reason we’re going to be successful.”
Cumberland (0-2 Division I) played a pair of tight games in an 20-hour time span with a state title contender but came away with a pair of losses. First-year coach Jared Cardoso loved the fight his team showed as the Clippers battled back from deficits of 3-0 and 6-2 against Old Dominion-bound righty Jayden Voelker.
The Clippers, however, proved to be their own worse enemy because infield errors led directly to Coventry runners in a three-run fifth inning and three-run ninth inning. Lucas Lariviere took the loss after allowed three runs, with just one earned, in an inning of work.
“These kids were in the game and they played their butts off, the whole roster,” Cardoso said. “It hurts, but there’s definitely some positives we can take. On the other side, over the last two days we’ve made some mistakes that have put us in a hole. Luckily, we have a few days to work on some of those mistakes and get better.”
Coventry (2-0 Division I) appeared to be headed toward a comfortable win in the last of the ninth, but catcher Shea Bessette led off the inning with a double and he moved to third on a Jackson Walsh single to left. Both runners came around to score on an Alec Lavallee two-run single. With the game-tying run in scoring position, Michael Clapprood grounded out to second to end the game.
The Oakers, who will only get better when Tommy Turner and Will Turner join the team after winning Saturday night’s Division III Super Bowl, know they aren’t going to sneak up on anybody this season with the pitching staff and lineup they’ll throw at teams this season.
“I believe we’re deeper than we’ve ever been and we have a nice mix with all the classes where we’re not senior heavy or junior heavy,” Bush said. “We’re not young and rebuilding anymore and the cupboard isn’t bare. I don’t think we’re a very well-kept secret when you have Voelker and Turner throwing. We’ve got some ballplayers.”
The Clippers also had some players standout on Saturday led by lefty Cam Harthan, who allowed just one run and struck out six batters in 3.2 innings of relief. Clapprood, the toughluck loser in Friday’s game, helped the Clippers get back into Saturday’s game when he crushed a two-run double off of Voelker to score a pair in the third inning and cut Coventry’s lead to just one.
After Cumberland reliever Michael Bradshaw struck out three batters in the fourth, the Oakers built a 6-2 lead in the fifth inning when Michael Houlihan and Alex Windrow drew one-out walks to chase Bradshaw. Harthan set down Devyn Vezina, but then Vadeboncoeur smashed a 2-1 pitch over the left-field fence for a three-run homer. The junior finished a triple short of the cycle.
“The pitcher was throwing some decent [velocity], so if you make good connection, the ball’s going to soar,” Vadeboncoeur said.
Harthan only allowed one more hit over his final three innings of relief to give the Clippers a chance to get back into the game.
Voelker lost command of the zone in the fifth inning, as freshman Andy Ray and Lavallee both reached base without getting a hit. Clapprood drove in Ray with a sacrifice fly and then Harthan added an RBI double and made it a one-run game when he scored on a wild pitch. Voelker stranded the bases loaded to leave the game with the lead.
Cumberland tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, but the hosts couldn’t score the game-winning run in the seventh inning after loading the bases with just one out. The Clippers were made to pay in the ninth when Vadeboncoeur drove in the go-ahead run.
“Through the first two games we’ve learned that we can pitch, but we need to do the little things right to win games,” Cardoso said. “A couple of little things hurt us yesterday and today – mental errors and not bodying the ball up. We’re going to be right there with the best in the state, that’s what I took from these first two games.”