By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The top-seeded Brewers haven’t run into much trouble in their quest to “three-peat” as Twi League champions this season and they didn’t get any from the Highlife in Game One of a first round matchup last night at Moulton Field.
That’s mostly because sheriff Colin Jaena never allowed the Life to get out of line.
The righty threw a complete-game, 3-hit shutout combined with 10 strikeouts and just 2 walks.
Meanwhile, the Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st and never looked back, adding 3 in the 3rd and one more in the 4th on their way to a dominant, 6-0 Game One victory.
Jaena was plenty impressive at the plate too as the only player in the game to reach base in each at-bat, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and 2 walks.
The Brew Crew also had strong games from Chris Casey (3-for-4, HR), Matt Fiore (3-for-4, RBI) and Jack Berinato (1-for-2, 2RBI, BB).
Jaena worked around a one-out walk in the top of the 1st with two strikeouts in a row, both looking, to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 1st, Matt Fiore wasted no time in bringing home Chris Casey who led off with a double as Fiore hit one to deep left-center for an RBI triple.
Tyler Sandonato made a nice play on a grounder at third to get Fiore at home but the Brewers stuck with it as Berinato later connected on a two-out RBI base hit to make it 2-0 after one.
The Highlife’s best chance to cross the plate came on a two-out rally in the 2nd when Anthony Caracciolo walked and Chris Dettorre singled, but Jaena buckled down to end the threat with his 3rd K of the day.
Derek Dettorre made a couple of nice plays at short in the bottom of the 2nd to help out Highlife starter Caleb Birchem who also picked up his 3rd strikeout to end the inning.
Jaena sat the Life down in order in the 3rd, something he would replicate in the 4th and 5th on his way to 11 consecutive outs which all but ended this one.
Meanwhile, the Brewers went to work on some insurance in the 3rd as three singles in a row by John Halsey, Brendan Casey and Jaena resulted in a run and a Berinato sac fly made it 4-0. Mike Fiore’s two-out, RBI knock later extended the lead to 5-0.
After Jaena struck out the side in the 4th, Chris Casey pushed the advantage to six with an inside-the-park home run, motoring around the bases while the ball snuck under a few branches in center but never got stuck – not a fun task for anybody patrolling Moulton’s unpredictable outfield maze. That’s just life in the Twi – which is why the Highlife didn’t spend any time grumbling about a ground rule double. Moulton giveth and Moulton taketh away. It just wasn’t their day.
Of course, that can change in Game Two as the Life will try to force a rubber match when the two teams meet again tonight, 5:45 p.m. back at Moulton.