New Orleans no-hits Philadelphia; New Brunswick tops Flood City
August 8, 2011 - New Orleans shut-out Philadelphia in their opening game at Arcurio Field in a combined no-hit performance. Brent Bonvillain and John DeArmond pitched 7 innings as NORD mercy-ruled the Bandits 12-0 in 7 innings.
"Brent's our ace and he threw like it today," said manager Bill Babin of the LSU junior. Bonvillain pitched the first six innings of the game. While his defense committed an error, Bonvillain says that the support he felt from his teammates on the field helped him keep Philly off the board.
"The intensity in the dugout was great," said Bonvillain. "I felt it on the mound, and I felt the intensity behind me, and it kind of picked me up when I was struggling at the beginning." With the Boosters firmly in control at 12-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Bonvillain was brought out in favor of closer DeArmond. Despite losing the chance to finish the no-hitter, Bonvillain said that we was more than willing to give the ball to teammate DeArmond. That team spirit continued with DeArmond, who also let his defense make plays to close out the game.
"I know the defense has my back," said DeArmond, a freshman at Delgado. "I made two greay plays in the field and I know that they always have my back."
For Philadelphia, coach Tom Dolan used plenty of pitchers in the game. He feels that even though the game was lost, having so many players experience game play may help them calm down for their game tomorrow.
"It's nice to get guys out there and find out what it takes," said Dolan. "Some guys had a little deer-in-the-headlights look, and hopefully they'll get that out of their system."
At the Point Stadium, New Brunswick jumped over Flood City's Delweld in the first inning and never looked back, building a 7-1 lead and holding on for a 7-4 victory.
"It was one of our goals coming into this game--to score 2 or more runs in the first inning," said New Brunswick Matrix manager Glenn Fredericks. "I think that our guys get geared up for the better pitchers, and everybody knows [Andy Smithmyer is] an excellent pitcher." The Matrix put up 4 runs in the first and 2 runs in the third.
For Delweld, they left 7 runners on based in the first 3 innings and never could recover. They were able to cut the lead to 7-4 in the seventh as Josh Robinette hit a shot into right field that the diving right-fielder could not catch. The ball rolled to the wall, letting two runs score and allowing Robinette to round the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
"We left too many men on base; it's been the story for us," said Delweld manager Chris DelSignore. "We've got to bear down with runners in scoring position, we need better at-bats, we need somebody with the big hit." DeslSignore complimented the Matrix for their ability to use the entire field when hitting, which is something his team has not seen all season.
Flood City will now play Philadelphia in an elimination game at the Point Stadium tomorrow. New Orleans plays New Brunswick in a rematch of the 2009 championship.
"If we finish innings off against New Orleans, that's the way you beat those guys," said Fredericks of his team's game tomorrow. "You can't leave anything out there cause they'll take advantage."