Nauset Warriors Outlast Red Raiders in Pitcher's Duel

The Nauset Warriors (12-2) deserved this one.

Barnstable senior righty Conor Walsh held the Nauset bats at bay for five shutout innings, while Nauset freshman southpaw Chris Holcomb - a Barnstable resident who transferred to Nauset this year from the Barnstable school system - allowed just one run in seven innings of work. For all intents and purposes, Wednesday night's 2-1 Nauset finale was about as fast-paced, well-pitched, well-played an effort as one will see on Cape Cod this spring.

Until the bottom of the seventh inning, with the score tied at 1-1.

After striking out the first batter he saw in the seventh inning, Walsh walked the next batter he faced - John Viera, also from Barnstable - who was replaced with a pinch runner who immediately stole second. Walsh then hit the next batter he faced to put men on 1st and second. It appeared that senior southpaw Chris Fowler was set to come in, but for some reason the plan changed. Walsh got the next batter to ground out for the second out but the grounder moved both men into scoring position, even though it was only the pinch-runner on third base that mattered at that point. Walsh walked the next batter to load the bases and then Gerritt Merrill - another Barnstable transplant to Nauset - laced a 1-1 pitch to left center for the 2-1 victory.

Holcomb picked up the win to bring his record to 3-0 on the season. He went 7 innings, allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks and struck out five. Walsh went 6 2/3 innings, allowed two earned runs on four hits and six walks and struck out four.

Derek Estes (1-3, RBI) and Griffin Burke (1-3) were the sole Barnstable players to garner hits off of Holcomb. Nauset's Merrill went 1-4 with the game-winning RBI.

With a 1-0 lead heading into the sixth inning, Walsh walked the leadoff man who immediately stole second base and was then moved to third on a ground-out by Merrill. The next batter singled him home to tie it up at 1-1.

Barnstable's Burke led off the top of the 7th inning with a clutch single, but in a key, no-out sacrifice situation, was not advanced to second base. Fowler grounded to second base and Burke was nabbed on the force while Fowler reached on the fielder's choice. TJ Wardwell then grounded into an inning-ending double play to end Barnstable's rally.

Barnstable falls to 6-6 on the season and welcomes Falmouth tomorrow, Friday, in a rematch of an earlier season game that Barnstable squandered on a walk-off, bases-clearing error.