WINTHROP — When the Monmouth and Winthrop baseball teams hook up the games are rarely dull.
In a contest reminiscent of last June’s playoff game, the teams traded hits, runs and errors Monday afternoon. When the dust settled, Monmouth had a 12-7 victory thanks to some key hits off the bench and a clutch relief job from Nick Dovinsky.
Monmouth is 4-2 in Mountain Valley Conference play, while Winthrop falls to 2-3.
This one bounced back and forth. Monmouth scored three runs in the first off Ramblers starter Carson Camick. Then Winthrop scored five in the third off starter Trevor Flanagan to lead 6-1.
The Mustangs eventually broke the game open when coach Eric Palleschi went to his patented small-ball game and the Ramblers kicked the ball around in a five-run Monmouth sixth inning.
“Especially in close games, I know he loves the small-ball,” Dovinsky said. “That’s kind of what gets us rolling in those innings. It worked out good.”
Dovinsky — who generally starts — relieved Flanagan to start the fourth and surrendered just one unearned run over the final four innings.
“I don’t need many warm-ups,” said Dovinsky, who moved to the mound from his shortstop position. “I know when I come in I have to throw strikes and trust my defense behind me.”
Palleschi went to his bench in Monmouth’s big sixth inning, getting contributions from Adam Fortin and Spencer Richardson.
“I was kind of nervous,” Fortin said. “But you know what, I’m having fun.”
The Mustangs laid down three bunts in the inning and forced three Winthrop into errors. The Ramblers committed seven in all.
“Seven errors speaks for itself,” Winthrop coach Marc Fortin said. “We’re still trying to find out infield. We’ve got some kids who haven’t played for a couple of years so they’re a little rutsy. We’re trying to bring their skills along.”
Avery Pomerleau finished with a pair of hits, scored three runs and stole seven bases, while Flanagan had three hits in the game and Corey Armstrong drove in a pair of runs.
“We’ve got to clean it up,” Palleschi said. “We can’t keep giving up outs, but early in the season the kids are playing well. We’re still figuring things out. We don’t have anybody playing a varsity position they played last year.”
The Ramblers took advantage of five Monmouth errors, as well as a pair of booming triples from Cameron Gaghan and Camick, who drove in two runs in the team’s five-run third. Ryan Baird and Greg Fay each scored twice as well.
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