Having seen their previous two fixtures fall foul of the recent unpredictable weather, Newton Aycliffe Spartans got back into action last weekend looking to maintain top spot in the British Baseball Federation AA Northern Division welcoming Liverpool Trojans to Spartans Field in Shildon.
In game 1, after a scoreless 1st inning the Spartans jumped out to a 3-1 lead and by the end of the 4th inning had extended the lead to 8-2, mainly thanks to the torrid hitting of Damien Valdez who had 7 runs batted in, including a grand slam home run, the third from the Spartans in as many games.
Spartans added runs in the 5th and 6th innings to run out convincing winners. Starting Pitcher, Bryan Dunkel continued his excellent season on the mound tossing 6 strong innings including striking out 8 Liverpool batters.
In game 2, Spartans continued where they left off, jumping out to an early 4-1 lead but the Merseysiders hit back with clever hitting and quickly opened an advantage with an 8-4 lead by the middle of the 3rd inning. Spartans however immediately hit back with 4 runs to level the game at 8-8.
Pitcher, Damien Valdez blanked the Trojans in the top of the 4th inning and that set up the Spartans with a chance to clinch the game, which they duly took thanks to Estile Peniche who hit the winning run to seal a 9-8 win on the 2 hour time rule and send the Spartans to a 7-1 record.
Spartans are next in action on Sunday 22nd when they travel to North Yorkshire to face Harrogate Cubs. Harrogate currently sit at the bottom of the table but having seen their ‘AAA’ team fold in recent weeks are likely to be boosted with the addition of several experienced players.
Newton Aycliffe Spartans thank The Cobblers at Cobblers Hall for providing post game refreshments for both teams. A full fixture list and more information on the Spartans can be found at www.newtonaycliffespartans.co.uk
