By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Blues of the New England Collegiate Baseball League continue to lead the Western Division while carrying the second best overall record in the league going into play on Sunday.
The Blues are hanging in at 15-6 overall, a healthy 4.5 games over the Valley Blue Sox in the West.
The only team with a better ledger is the Vermont Mountaineers, winning 21 of its first 23 games (21-2) – running away with the best record in league play.
Blues Stats Check
Chaz Myers leads the Blues in batting average (.357) and is in a five-way tie for first place in home runs with one.
He’s also third on the squad in RBI with 11.
Jay Harry (.355) is just percentage points behind Myers for the batting average lead while Griffin Arnone (.293) is a distant third.
Ryan Wilson and Arnone have each tallied 11 RBI to lead the Bristol outfit.
On the pitching front, Colin McVeigh has been tremendous overs 15.1 innings on the hill, punching out 22 batters while allowing just three walks.
That turns into an incredible 7.33-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Former Bristol Eastern standout Jagger Duquette is second on the squad in strikeouts with 17 while John Farley (14) is third.
For the season, Duquette has thrown 19.1 innings, allowed just seven runs overall and carries a slick 1.40 ERA.
Will Paoli is a perfect 3-0 this season in 8.1 innings pitched while Luke Garofalo is 2-0 and has a team-leading three saves.
Blues win two of their past three games
After dropping a wild 10-9 decision to Valley last Sunday, Bristol had a few days off before getting a real test against the North Adams SteepleCats last Wednesday.
The game was 1-1 after nine innings as an extra frame was needed in the 10th to help secure the win for the Blues.
With Derek Tenney at second base, Myers smacked out the game-winning single as Bristol scooped up a 2-1 victory.
He ended up going 2-of-4 with two RBI as the Blues tallied just three hits that evening.
Duquette threw well over his four inning, three-hit, two-K stint to open the contest but earned a no-decision.
Garofalo, Bristol’s fifth pitcher of record, won the game out of the bullpen (1.1 IP, 0 hits, 2 Ks) to help Bristol snare its 14th win.
And after dropping a tough 8-3 decision against the Mystic Schooners on July 1, the Blues got back to the pay window – sinking the Keene Swamp Bats by a 3-2 final from Muzzy Field this past Saturday.
And once again, with the contest knotted at 1-1, tenth inning heroics were needed by the Blues.
Down 2-1, a couple late walks foiled the visitors as Tyler Forte and Matt Smith scored to snare the win in the tenth.
Matt Smith earned the victory late (1 IP, 1 hit) as Bristol’s offense was held to only four hits but still managed to win the showdown.
Upcoming Schedule
Bristol had two games against the Winnipesaukee Muskrats on Sunday in a doubleheader from Muzzy Field.
After the holiday, the Blues travel to Joe Wolfe Field on Wednesday to battle North Adams (6:30 p.m.) then returns home for two games.
Bristol tangles against the Danbury Westerners on Wednesday and battles Newport on Thursday.
Both games commence at 6:30 p.m. from Muzzy Field.
NECBL – Western Division Standings (as of Sunday)
Team W-L Games Back
Bristol Blues 15-6 —
Valley Blue Sox 11-11 4.5
Danbury Westerners 10-12 5.5
North Adams SteepleCats 5-17 10.5
