Dartmouth Moosehead Dry

Craig Langille was brilliant over 8 innings, allowing only 4 hits while striking out 6, inducing 12 ground ball outs and 3 infield pop fly outs in leading the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry to a 2-1 final series lead by a score of 8-0 over the Halifax Pelham Molson Canadians today at Beazley Field. Langille, now 3-1 in the playoffs, was in command throughout, avenging a 6-4 loss to the Canadians in Game 1 of the series. Junior affiliate Craig Sinyerd pitched the 9^th to finish up.

Langille had to share the spotlight with the big sluggers of the Dry who brought their big bats to the key match-up. The foursome of Joel Irvine, Darren Doucette, Greg West, and Colin Johnson combined to smash 5 home runs. Irvine had 2-run shots in the 1^st and 7^th innings, while Johnson hit his own 2-run blast over the centre field wall in the 3^rd after Irvine had walked. Doucette and West added home runs after Irvine’s in the 7^th to provide back-to-back-to back excitement for the Dartmouth fans.

Halifax got doubles from Mark Pelham, Ryan Veinot, and Shawn Peverill. Randy Stewart and Brandon Devlin had singles.

Game 4 of the best of seven final series goes Monday at 2:00 at Mainland Common. The Dry’s junior affiliate, 6-4 leftyCameron Marling, is expected to get the start while Steve Ivey, in Cape Breton for a wedding, is expected back for a critical game for the Canadians. Game 5 is set for Thursday, 7:30, at Beazley Field.

CANADIANS (1-2)      000 000 000     0R 5H 0E

DRY (2-1)                     202 000 40X     8R 8H 2E

Reggie Snow (L, 0-1), Jeff Tosenard (3), Mark Pelham (7), and Randy Stewart

Craig Langille (W, 3-1), Craig Sinyerd (9), and Justin Stephens

Mark Pelham, double, Ryan Veinot, double, Shawn Peverill, double, Randy Stewart, single, Brandon Devlin, single

Joel Irvine, 2 2-run Home Runs (3), 4 RBI; Colin Johnson, 2-run Home Run (1), Darren Doucette, Solo Home Run (3), Greg West, Solo Home Run (3), Matt Thomas, double; Justin Stephens, double

Game 4 is set for the Mainland Common on Monday, 2:00, while Game 5 is scheduled for Beazley Field on Thursday night, 7:30 

Slugger Darren Doucette had a 3-run home run in the 9^th to put the game out of reach for the Dry. He had an RBI double to get the Dry off to a quick start in the 1^st inning. Joe Irvine chipped in with 3 RBIs on a single, a sacrifice fly, and a fielder’s choice. Justin Stephens had a double in a 4-run 9^th for the Dry, Chris Head had 3 singles and 3 stolen bases.

Mark Pelham had 2 doubles and 2 RBIs for the Canadians, Shawn Peverill continued his strong performance at the plate with a double and single and an RBI. Mark Haverstock took the loss after winning 3 playoff games and the first game in the series last Fri.

Game 3 of the best of seven series is set for Sun, 2:00, at Beazley Field. Craig Langille will take the hill for the Dry while Steve Ivey is expected to start for Halifax. The 4^th game will be played on Mon, 2:00, at Mainland Common.

DRY (1-1)              101 011 104    9R 13H 1E 

CANADIANS(1-1)   100 010 100   3R   5H  2E

Jason Bailey (W, 2-0), Jeff Reeves (8, SV1), and Justin Stephens

Mark Haverstock (L, 3-1) and Shawn Walsh 

Darren Doucette, 3-run HR (2), double, 4 RBI; Joel Irvine, single, SF, 3 RBI; Justin Stephens, double, RBI; Chris Head, 3 singles, 3 SB 

Mark Pelham, 2 doubles, 2 RBI; Shawn Peverill, double, single, RBI 

Game 5 of the NSSBL finals, now necessary, has been set for Beazley Field, Thursday, Oct. 13, first pitch is 7:30.

The torrential rain of the last few days which has made play impossible at the Mainland Common has forced postponement of tonight's Game 2 of the NSSBL final series between the Halifax Pelham Molson Canadians and the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry.

The teams have decided that with uncertainty surrounding field conditions for Fri. as well as the promise of perfect baseball weather with sun and warmth with temperatures in the low 20's for the long weekend, that the next 3 games would go on Sat., Sun., and Mon. Sat.'s game is set for Mainland Common at 1:00 (please note start time), Sun., 2:00, at Beazley Field, and back to Mainland Common on Mon., at 2:00.

Here's brief look at Game 1, won by Halifax 6-4, with a hint of what's to happen in the next three games.

When co-coach and league-leading pitcher, Mark Haverstock, brought his Halifax Pelham Molson Canadians and his right arm to Beazley Field lastFriday, he hoped to wrestle home field advantage from the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry in their best 4 of 7 NSSBL playoff series. And that’s exactly what he and his teammates did.

Haverstock’s rock-solid outing and the key hitting of the team’s RBI leader, Shawn Peverill, were the keys. Haverstock, 9-4 over the regular season, stymied the big bats of the Dry until the 9^th when Chris Head clubbed a grand slam home run to cut the margin to 6-4. Big Steve Ivey came in to get the final two outs to preserve the win with the winning run at the plate. Peverill provided the big blow, a 2-run home run in the 3rd off Craig Langille (7-1), runner-up to Haverstock as the league’s top right-hander. Those runs proved to be the winning runs.

Halifax’s top hitters during the season, Adam Lucas, Mark Pelham,and Ryan Veinot helped the cause offensively. The three hit .398, .391, and .368 respectively. Lucas had 2 singles, Pelham and Veinot run scoring base hits.  Other performers the Canadians look to help out are C Shawn Walsh, always a top-notch playoff performer, 3B Josh Pelham, and Brandon Devlin who started things off on Fri. with a triple.

The silver lining in the dark clouds that have covered HRM for most of the week is that both teams' pitchers are well-rested and ready to go. It is likely that Haverstock will return to the mound for the second game, Sat., though Steve Ivey is ready as well. If Haverstock starts then Ivey will go Sun. and Barrett Bellefontaine Mon. Bellefontaine, the outstanding lefty, is 2-0, but has been plagued with arm woes all season and hasn’t pitched since a win in Truro on Aug. 30.

The Dry will go with veteran Jason Bailey (5-0) on Sat, hoping the winningest pitcher in Dry history can do what he has done so many times before over a brilliant career. Langille will start on Sun. and junior affiliate, Cameron Marling, will start Game 4 on Mon. Closer Jeff Reeves, who led the league in strikeouts with 64 in 39 innings, while going 4-1, with a league-leading ERA of 1.62 will be counted on in a big way.  Of concern in the Dry camp is the status of ex-pro, Steve Nelson. Nelson, 7-2 this season and among the top pitchers every year, is battling rotator cuff problems and may not be able to pitch again this year.  

The Dry, with 6 offensive all-stars in their starting line-up, will look to provide more clout overall than they did in Game 1. Head and Matt Thomas had 6 hits in the opening game, but Haverstock and Ivey stymied the big bats of Joel Irvine (.346, 6 HRs, 37 RBIs), Darren Doucette who hit 13 home runs to lead the league, Greg West who finished atop the batting parade at .421, and C Justin Stephens who had 26 RBIs. Colin Johnson also provides great offense, he finished 2^nd in home runs (6) and tied for 1^st in RBIs with 37, both with Irvine.

The tremendous competitiveness between the two teams is obvious when one looks at the regular season. The Dry won the 8-game series 5-3, outscoring the Canadians by a count of 48-41. The Dry won 2 of the last 3 games by 1 run, the Canadians` victory was by 2 runs. So with Halifax`s 6-4 win in Game 1 of this final series, baseball fans can  be assured of some of the best baseball seen in the NSSBL for many years.

Mark Haverstock held the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry in check for 8 and 1/3 innings, and Steve Ivey got the save by getting Joel Irvine and Darren Doucette for the final two outs as the Halifax Pelham Molson Canadians won Game 1 in the best 4 of 7 NSSBL final series tonight at Beazley Field by a score of 6-4. The Canadians used a 5-run 3rd inning to give themselves all the runs they needed in the win. Brandon Devlin led off the inning with a seldom-seen triple at Beazley, Ryan Veinot plated him with a single and then Mark Pelham doubled in Veinot.  Adam Lucas walked. Shawn Peverill, a key RBI producer for the Canadians all year, then smashed a 2-run home run over the left centre-field wall for a 5-0 Halifax lead. The 6th run scored as a result of an error on a Paul Davie ground ball, a Shawn Walsh single, and a run-scoring single courtesy of Devlin.

The Dry mounted a comeback off a tiring Hvaerstock in the 9th. Colin Johnson singled, Chris Gallivan reached on an error and Dan Comeau walked. Chris Head then deposited a Haverstock offering over the wall in left, cutting the margin to 6-4. When MattThomas singled, Ivey was summoned and struck out Irvine and induced a ground ball by Doucette to first to end the game.

DRY (0-1)                      000 000 004 4R 11H 2E

CANADIANS (1-0)         005 001 000  6R 11H 1E

Craig Langille (L, 2-1), Jason Bailey (7), Jeff Reeves (9), and Justin Stephens

Mark Haverstock (W, 3-0), Steve Ivey (9, SV1), and Shawn Walsh

Chris Head, GS HR (1), 3 singles; Colin Johnson, double, single; Matt Thomas, double, single

Shawn Peverill, Game-winning 2-run HR (1); Brandon Devlin, triple, single, RBI; Mark Pelham, double, RBI; Josh Pelham, 3 singles, Ryan Veinot, single, RBI 

Game 2 is scheduled for Sat., 2:00, at Mainland Common. Should the plentiful rainfall predicted wash out the game, the teams will have to wait until Tues., 7:30, to do battle in Game 2 at Mainland Common.