PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- The North Adams SteepleCats dropped their first game of the season on Friday night, falling 7-4 to the Plymouth Pilgrims at Forges Field.

 

Extra-base hits proved to be the difference in the game for the second night in a row, going against the 'Cats after aiding them on Thursday.

 

Friday's ballgame got off to a promising start for the SteepleCats, who scored twice in the top of the first. Four walks and a hit batsmen forced the two runs in without the aid of a North Adams hit. Bases loaded walks were dealt to Tyler Walters (Slippery Rock) and Dustin Shirley (Dartmouth) to give the 'Cats an early 2-0 lead.

 

Plymouth scored the game's next five runs, beginning with an answer of two in the bottom of the first. With two outs in the frame, Zachary McGuire (Michigan State) singled to plate Chase Cheek (Duke) and Andrew MacNeal (Stetson). The Pilgrims took the lead for good in the next inning. The scoring came at the beginning of the frame, after back-to-back doubles from Cheek and MacNeal.

 

A two-run home run widened the lead for the hosts in the bottom of the third. James Venuto (Elon) walked to lead off the frame. McGuire then homered over the left field wall to drive in his third and fourth runs of the game.

 

North Adams got a run back in the top of the fourth. The SteepleCats loaded the bases with no outs, thanks to a Walters walk, an error off the bat of Shirley, and a KK Daniel (Drury) single. Ryan Lever (UMass Amherst) drove in the run on a fielder's choice, but a double play ball kept the 'Cats to just one run.

 

The Pilgrims' biggest lead was four runs, coming in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run homer by MacNeal. An RBI single by Michael Gulino (Pace) scored Lever in the top of the seventh inning to conclude the scoring.

 

One of the brightest spots for North Adams in the defeat was the bullpen, who combined one on three scorelesss innings. Patrick Peterson (Dartmouth) put up zeros in the sixth and seventh, while Bryce Peterson (UCF) added a clean eighth.

 

The two-game roadtrip for the SteepleCats wraps up on Saturday afternoon, as Ryan Tapp takes the hill against the Upper Valley Nighthawks, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m.