Reading Bulldogs

By Greg Bidgood   Daily Times Chronicle 

Reading (4) – Cataldo 3-0, Castoldi 4-0, Conti 3-2, Talis 1-1, Hartwell 4-0, Gagnon 1-1, Buitkus 2-0, Kelley 1-0, Zajac 1-0. Totals 20-4.  

Watertown (2) – Jacobsen 4-1, McEvoy 4-0, Callahan 3-2, Casey 3-2, Brennan 3-0,Chiasson 3-0, Giordano 3-0, Panza 1-0, Kelly 1-0, Thebodo 2-0 , Totals 28-5

Watertown         000 101 0  – 2

Reading             011 011 x – 4

Doubles: Casey, Jacobsen, Callahan

Triples: Conti

After a week off for the all-star break, the Reading Bulldogs started the second half of the year off right on Sunday when they beat the Watertown Reds 4-2 at Lexington High School.

Andrew Bishop got his first start of the year for the Bulldogs and he did enough to win, going five innings while scattering three hits.

Reading managed just four hits on the day, but capitalized on the wildness of Watertown’s pitching as they drew 10 walks.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead when Andy Gagnon singled in the second and then scored on a fielder’s choice. The lead stretched to 2-0 in the third when Nick Conti scored on a wild pitch.

After the Reds got a run back in the top of the fourth, the Bulldogs drew four walks in the home half of the fifth which produced a run.

Watertown trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the sixth but the Bulldogs got back an insurance run in the bottom of the frame when Conti tripled and then scored on a Zack Talis sacrifice fly.

Sean Boyle retired the side in order in the top of the seventh for the save.

The Bulldogs are now 8-8-1 on the year and will be in action next on Tuesday evening when they host the Medford Americans at Morton Field.

By Jeff Pierce   Daily Times Chronicle 

Reading (7) – Cataldo 4-1, Conti 4-1, Manzi 2-1, Talis 4-1, Hartwell 4-2, Fischer 3-3, Dewing 1-0, Castoldi 2-1, Buitkus 2-0, O’Leary 2-0,  Totals 30-10 

Testa (2)-  O’Flynn 3-1, Eruzione 2-0, Klimkiewicz 3-1, Ma. Addessa 2-0, Perry 2-0, Tarro 1-0, Jennings 3-1, Barry 3-0, DelSantos 2-1, Pugh 2-0,   Totals 23-4 

Doubles: Hartwell

Triples: Talis 

WP- Tully   LP-   Pugh 

Reading          0112300  -7

Testa Corp     1000010  -2 

Wrap: The Bulldogs received their best pitched game of the year and combined that with ten hits to give themselves a comfortable 7-2 victory on Thursday night in the shadow of Logan airport. This was the Bulldogs fourth straight win on an away field. 

Scott Tully, just back from a two week class trip to Russia, showed the form that has made him a record setting pitcher at Reading High School.  

Tully struck out  twelve batters in just six innings. Included on the strikeout list were eight from  some the leagues top hitters who bat in the first five spots in the Bomber batting order. “This was the teams best pitched game of the season “ said Matt Morrison, “ Scott threw as hard as I have seen him throw this year and he combined that with a devastating change up”.

 Tully gave up an early home run to former minor league professional Josh Klimkiewicz that landed on the tracks of the MBTA’s Blue line. But in typical Tully fashion, during a Bomber threat two innings later he blew three pitches by Klimkiewicz with two runners on base. 

Reading who has historically hit well under the lighted and turfed Sartori Field put fifteen runners on base and combined that with five hits with runners in scoring position. Morrison noted the good at-bats his team had on the night, “every batter got on base tonight one through nine and even some of the outs were productive bringing in runs on a couple of occasions”.

 It was Darren Hartwell who got the Bulldogs going early with his reknown speed that allowed Reading to tie the score at 1-1.  Hartwell stretched a single into a double and then scored on a hard line drive single by Alex Fischer with a hand tag at home plate, around the Testa catcher. It was Hartwell’s speed again that gave the Bulldogs a comfortable 7-1 cushion in the fifth. He laid down a one out bunt single and then he went from first to third on another Fischer hit, before finally scoring on a double steal.

 “Darren is a weapon with his legs, he is probably the fastest player in the league”, said Morrison, “ tonight he was the catalyst for our offense along with Fisher. We have been waiting for a game like this from him where he put pressure on the other teams defense, and now we have seen it”. 

The Bulldogs are right back at it on Friday evening at 8PM at Ferullo Field where they close out the season series with Mooney Dental. 

By Jeff Pierce    Daily Times Chronicle 

 Medford (3)-  Burgoyne 4-1, Salvati 3-1, Davis 4-2, Sheehan 4-2, Barber 4-1, McConnville 3-0, Polanco 2-1, Pashos 3-1, Barrera 1-0,  Totals 28-9

Reading (1) – Cataldo 4-2, Conti 4-2, Manzi 4-3, Talis 2-0, Taylor 2-0, Fischer 3-0, Castoldi 3-1, O’Leary 2-0, Hartwell 1-0, Zajac 3-0, Totals 28-8 

Doubles: Conti, Davis, Sheehan 

WP- McGlinchy

LP-   Kelley 

Medford   1000200 - 3

Reading   1000000 - 1 

 Wrap: The Bulldogs bid to get back over the .500 mark for the season was thwarted for the third consecutive time on Monday, losing 3-1 at the hands of the Medford Americans. The Americans started thirty-five year old former major league pitcher Kevin McGlinchy in their bid to tie up the Bulldogs in the standings. The imposing McGlinchy had a brief two year stint for the Atlanta Braves in the late 1990’s including a playoff appearance. Early on it looked the Bulldogs were up to the challenge as they started the first inning off with three straight hits, a run and a walk. However, with a chance to land an early knockout punch to the former pro, the Bulldogs hit into three infield outs preventing further damage and they left the first inning tied at 1-1. Bulldog starter Nick Kelley had a  4-0 record going into the game and was  named most valuable pitcher in the Eastern Mass Baseball Classic over the weekend.   Kelley held the Americans to just one run over the first four innings, but in the fifth he threw one of his rare walks to the number nine hitter to start the fifth and that lead to his undoing. With two on and one out, Kevin Davis then doubled deep to left to bring in the deciding runs of the game for Medford. The Bulldogs only threatened one more time after the first inning as McGlinchy got stronger as the game went on. In the fifth with the bases loaded Alex Fischer struck out on a tough breaking pitch to end the Bulldogs threat and they fell back under  to .500 at 8-9-1 on the season.  

Rick DeAngelis Intercity League All Star Manager announces 5 Bulldogs to compete for the Intercity League:

Bill Cataldo  2b  Salem State College

Nick Kelley P Endicott College

Zac Talis   C  UMass Dartmouth

Nick Conti  SS  Salem State College

Mike Taylor 1B  Western New England College

Jeff Pierce       Daily Times Chronicle  

Reading (9) – Cataldo 5-1, Fischer 3-3, Manzi 4-3, Taylor 4-1, Castoldi 5-2, Buitkus 4-2, O’Leary 3-2, Heyward 3-0, Halsey 4-0, Totals 39-14 

Arlington (4)-  Freidman 4-2,  Mansfield 4-1, Perkins 2-1, Csapler 3-1, McAuley 4-1, Griffin 3-0, Brown 4-0, Conner 2-1, Shea 2-0, Fitzgerald 0-0,   Totals 29-7 

Doubles- Manzi, Castoldi, Buitkus

 WP- O’Neil  LP-   DiCecca 

Reading   1012230 -9

Arlington   0010102 -4   

Game One 

Testa Corp (1)-  M. O’Flynn  4-1, D. O’Flynn 3-1, Klimkiewicz 3-1, Mi. Addesa 2-0, MA. Addesa 3-0, Frias 3-0, Barry 3-1, Barber 2-0, Eruzione 3-1,  Totals 26-5 

Reading (4) –  Cataldo 2-1, Conti 4-2, Manzi 4-0,Talis 1-1, Bishop 1-0, Taylor 2-0, Castoldi 2-0, Buitkus 2-0, Zajac 1-0, Hartwell 3-0, Totals 22-4 

Doubles – Talis, Conti, M. O’Flynn, Klimkiewicz 

WP- Kelley LP-  McDonald   

Testa Corp.  0000010   1

Reading       110002x   4 

 Game Two 

Testa Corp (8)-  M. O’Flynn  3-2, D. O’Flynn 4-3, Klimkiewicz 4-3, Mi. Addesa 4-1, MA. Addesa 4-3, Eruzione 3-0, Barry 4-0, Wosney 4-0, Martins 3-0,  Totals 33-10 

Reading (2) –   Cataldo 3-0, Conti 3-1, Manzi 2-0,Talis 3-1, Fischer 3-0, Gagnon 3-1 Dewing 1-0, Halsey 2-0, O’Leary 3-1, Hartwell 2-1 Totals 25-5 

Triple- Hartwell

Home Run- Klimkiewicz 

WP- O’Neil LP-  Boyle 

Testa Corp   3300110 -8

Reading       0000200 -2  

Wrap: 

The Bulldogs fell just short of a 3 game weekend sweep that would have put them over the .500 mark at the midpoint of the regular season after losing the second game of their doubleheader, with the Bombers from East Boston, and finishing the first half with a 7-8-1 record. On Friday night the story was the Bulldog bats breaking out with some timely hitting for a change putting together 3 multiple run innings in a 9-4 rout of the Trojans. Pete Castoldi had a two run double in the first and then in the sixth Steve Buitkus broke open the contest with rbi double after singling home two runs the prior inning. Alex Fischer and Trevor Manzi both had three hit outings at that plate. Brian O’Neil earned his first win of the season going five innings and allowing two runs. On a hot Sunday at Morton Field the Bulldogs had a nice start to the doubleheader when Nick Kelley pitched a nine strikeout one run complete game to run his record to 4-0 on the season, in the Bulldogs 4-1 victory. Nick Conti provided the key hit with a two run double in the sixth inning to give Reading some breathing room in a one run contest. With the Bulldogs poised to go over .500 on the season, it was the one win Bombers who took the game from the start when the first five batters recorded hits in a three run first inning. The game was virtually put out of reach in the second when Harvard’s Josh Klimkiewicz hit a long three run homer to left center field. Rob O’Neil mastered the Bulldogs all game allowing just five scattered hits with only one walk.  The Bulldogs lone highlight was a Darren Hartwell triple that broke the shutout in the fifth inning. Reading is off for a week before they resume next Sunday night in Lexington against the Watertown Reds