Archive - May 2012 - Sports Article
May 14th
Generally, Tim Wakefieldâs 19-year MLB odyssey is broken down into two separate and distinctive parts. There was the Wakefield of Pittsburgh Pirates fame, the hotshot knuckleball specialist who helped guide the franchise to the brink of the 1992 World Series.
Weâre just past the quarter mark of the PawSoxâs season. Such a distinction comes with a few observations that have made an impression upon this particular observer âŠ
If the Red Sox knew a month ago what they know at the present time, perhaps they wouldnât have been so quick to move Alex Wilson from the rotation to the bullpen.
CUMBERLAND â If thereâs any good news for Cumberland High, it will return to Division I-North action beginning Wednesday afternoon, when head coach Marty Crowleyâs crew hosts La Salle Academy at 3:45.
The bad: The Clippers closed their D-I crossover slate Monday afternoon with a 5-0 loss to North Kingstown at Tucker Field, as Skippersâ junior righty Taylor Butler yielded just five hits and two walks while whiffing eight in her complete-game outing.
BURRILLVILLE â Hereâs a case of deja vu that North Smithfield likes and Burrillville loathes.
For the second time this season, Northmen sophomore ace pitcher Karissa Carlton had her way with the host Broncosâ lineup and her teammates did just enough offensively off Broncos junior ace Cassidy Tedeschi to squeak out a 1-0 victory.
Carlton struck out a season-high 16 batters and walked just one en route to a magnificent two-hitter that helped the Northmen improve to 9-2, and for the moment, hold a half-game lead over Woonsocket (9-3) in the airtight Division II-North standings.
May 13th
PAWTUCKET -- Alex Hassan opened the season a dismal 0-for-17 at the plate before he broke out of the slump with a 3-for-4 outing at Rochester on April 13.
Slow but sure, his confidence increased, and that was more than obvious on Sunday afternoon.
Hassan finished 3-for-3 with a double, homer, sacrifice fly, two RBI and three runs scored to pace the Pawtucket Red Soxâ 5-4 come-from-behind triumph over the Clippers before 5,516 fans at McCoy Stadium.
PAWTUCKET -- The way Lars Anderson figures it, versatility is the key to getting back to the Boston Red Sox.
Thatâs why the Pawtucket Red Sox first baseman called Mike Hazen, now Bostonâs Vice President and Assistant General Manager, last November and asked that he be considered for an outfield position.
Given Adrian Gonzalezâ contract with Boston, he figured, âWhy not?
âHe told me he thought it was a good idea, and that he would talk to the powers-that-be,â Anderson, 24, said in the clubhouse prior to Pawtucketâs tilt against the Columbus Clippers on Sunday morning.
May 12th
NORTH SMITHFIELD â Alysha Acevedo didn't cringe, but did seem rather uncomfortable when asked how she's doing academically in this, her junior year at North Smithfield High.
âNot so good in chemistry; math isn't going too well, either, and I love math!â she chuckled. âBut I did get a 95 last week on my chemistry/common task, which is sort of like a project. The good news is I did something I didn't think I'd be able to do.â
May 11th
PAWTUCKET â Despite posting downright gaudy numbers in his shortlived Red Sox stint, Clayton Mortensen was farmed out to Pawtucket because of one simple yet often overlooked factoid.
He still has minor-league options remaining.
Guys like Mortensen, they perform a service akin to a security blanket. To the big-league teams, to have a player with options still on the table, creates the kind of roster flexibility that can prove most handy.
May 10th
PAWTUCKET â Mauro Gomez ended his slump in a big way on Thursday afternoon.
The veteran first baseman delivered a two-out, two-run double into the right-field corner in the bottom of the eighth inning to erase a one-run deficit and lift the Pawtucket Red Sox to a 6-5 victory over the Rochester Red Wings in the finale of their four-game series at McCoy Stadium
Gomez, who was an International League All-Star with the Gwinnett Braves last year, came into this contest with just four hits in his last 45 at-bats, two of them coming in Wednesday nightâs 5-2 win over the Red Wings.
LINCOLN -- When senior Brad Auclair checked his text messages at Mount St. Charles on Thursday morning, he found one particularly intriguing â and funny.
âMy father (John) likes to give me some advice before every match, and he said something like, âSwing smooth, relax, just go out and have fun,ââ Auclair explained. âHe also said, âHit the ball solidâ and to think my way around the course, where I should leave each shot. He closed it with âGo out and shoot 32 again.â
âWhen I read it, I was thinking, âYeah, right,ââ he added. âI just wanted to be around par.â
