The Dirt Dawgs fall in the season opener, as the Pittsfield Suns overcome a quick start by Wachusett to come away with a 8-5 victory at Doyle Field, on Thursday night.

The Basics

Scores: Pittsfield Suns 8, Wachusett Dirt Dawgs 5

Records: Pittsfield (1–0) | Wachusett (0–1)

How It Happened

The Dirt Dawgs were led offensively by the efforts of Kyle Pangallo (SNHU) and John Stanton (SNHU). Pangallo went 3–for-5 on the night blasting a home-run to dead center while also picking up a double and single. Stanton got the Dawgs going early on launching a ball to deep right for a two-run shot. He ended up 1-for–2 on the night while also reaching base on a pair of walks and a hit by pitch.

The Suns received a stellar performance from Kevin Donati (SUNY Albany) as he went 2–for-4, including belting two home-runs over the left field fence. The Suns also received an offensive showing from their 8-9 hitters, as Andre Marrero (Quinnipiac) and Justin Cooke (Oklahoma) both drove in a pair of runs each.

The Dirt Dawgs wasted no time getting on the board as John Stanton(SNHU) blasted a two-run shot to right field in the home half of the first inning. Pittsfield cut the Wachusett advantage in half, with a solo home run by Kevin Donati (SUNY Albany)  in the top of the third. The Dirt Dawgs responded in their half of the third as Stanton scampered home on a passed ball.

In the top of the fourth, the Suns had an offensive outburst which included back-to-back home runs from Marrero and Donati. Naushon Galbraith (Elon University) came on to stop the bleeding for the Dirt Dawgs in the 4th.

The Dirt Dawgs answered again when Steven Gallagher singled to lead off the fourth and came around to score on a fielding miscue from the Suns.

After a leadoff walk in the sixth Marrero came around to score on a double by Conor Moriarty (UConn). Moriarty then came around after a couple of miscues to make the score 8–4 in favor of Pittsfield. Pangallo got the Dirt Dawgs back within three after a solo shot in the bottom half of the inning making it 8–5.

On the mound starter Dan Southerland (Wheaton) took the loss in 3.2 innings of work letting up six earned and striking out five. Suns starter Mitch Holcomb went 4.1 innings giving up four earned and striking out four. Suns reliever Austin Pope (Fairfield) picked up his first win of the year in 1.2 innings of relief.

Inside The Numbers

• Suns reliever Craig Lacey (Bryant University) came in the bottom half of the ninth, and recorded a 1-2-3 inning to pick up his first save of the season.
• Luke Brennan (Worcester State) pitched 3.0 innings of no-hit baseball in relief, while retiring a game high seven Suns, by way of the “K”.
• Zach Tower (Franklin Pierce University) was the lone other Dirt Dawg to record multiple hits on the evening.
• Both bullpens matched their opponent on the hill. The two teams relief pitching went 10.0 innings, while just yielding three hits, and collecting 19 strikeouts.

Up Next

The Dirt Dawgs will try to get to .500 on the young season with a 7:05pm first pitch at Brockton against the Rox. Pittsfield looks to continue their quick road trip, as they travel to the defending FCBL Champions, Nashua Silver Knights, for a 6:45pm tilt.

With 24 hours left in our campaign, we are just 8% away from our goal. Reaching 100% of the goal means that we can head into production and get this movie made. If every person on this mailing list stops right now and contributes just $3, we will hit 100%. Please take a peek at yesterday’s video to find out why we need to reach that 100% mark. Together, we can make this movie happen!  Contribute today!

The Fitchburg Public Library Teen Center will be hosting its Fourth Annual CosPlay Day, on Saturday, June 10, from 2-6 p.m.  This free event is open to young people aged 10-18.

You can come in costume, or we will have a seamstress on hand from 2-4 p.m. to help you create a costume.  Make-up, games, and anime will also be available.  For more information about this and other Teen Events, contact the Library at 978-829-1783, or visit the Teen Center Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/FPLTeenCenter/

Be Educated Empowered and Have fun!

FREE doTERRA Essential Oil Workshop
with Eileen Ladwig, MS, OTR/L

 Where: Gallery Sitka West 454 Main St. Fitchburg
When: Thur., May 25, 5:30-7 pm

Stress; sleep; focus; headaches; colds/flu; optimal weight; energy; allergies; digestion; joint/muscle pain, natural insect repellent and so much more!

FREE class but pre-registration is required.
RSVP to Eileen Ladwig MS, OTR/L call/text 978-994-0655
Visit her site!

Darcie Lee Hanaway is someone that Gallery Sitka owner Tamar Russell Brown has been following for a long time. Gallery Sitka is thrilled to have an opportunity to show her work in Central Mass.

Ms. Hanaway is a whimsical, mixed-media artist who takes inspiration from time, nature, and their cycles and patterns. When Ms. Hanaway makes art, she uses “an intuitive process,” she says. “There’s no end-product in mind.” Her art is typically nonrepresentational and about community, family, and love, and what those things mean to her. Her adventures — from having a baby to living in an Airstream trailer — take on meaning and significance that seem to change continually as life goes on.

Encouraged to create art since infancy, the Rhode Island native has created art pieces ranging from installations made of old ventilation systems and harvested street signs in her old studio, to organic gardens for her clients, to a restaurant she helped build from scratch in Delray Beach, Fla. One might think that Ms. Hanaway has done it all! She travels often, creating art with different people to keep herself inspired. She does whatever it takes to “generate creative energy and share it.”

In 2007 Ms. Hanaway moved to Martha’s Vineyard, where she truly discovered something essential about the nature of time, thanks to the island’s cyclical tourist season. It is here that we find the Airstream that she lives in and which has taught her so much about the true meaning of “home.” She finds that “living simply makes my life richer. The less I own, the more value I assign to the items I keep.” Ms. Hanaway loves to make art outdoors, as it allows her to create art based on her feelings and her environment. Her creations originate from a primal sense rather than from rigid technique.

The show will also feature the works of two New Hampshire artists whose artwork complements Ms. Hanaway’s work, Melissa Richard and Angelique Ward. Ms. Richard’s new work, created this past winter, is an “exploration of emotion through color and texture,” using mixed media, mostly acrylic and collage. Much of her work examines relationships. It also explores emotions “that don’t necessarily have words.” Inspired by abstract expressionism, her art has helped her work through many of her own internal struggles. Ms. Richard is an art teacher and participates in art shows throughout New England. She is represented by Gallery Z in Providence, R.I.

Angelique Ward is a self-taught artist who hails from Hudson, N.H. She says that her passion for the arts has ranged from “performing onstage as a singer and in theater pieces, to writing poetry, to creating two-dimensional artworks in acrylic and mixed media.” She enjoys blending different art forms, particularly in assemblage, a three-dimensional medium that employs one or more boxes rather than a flat canvas. This method of storytelling is a deeply personal medium that “sets the stage” for her unique poetic mystery.

The show is expected to present big, bold, edgy artwork that will inspire thought about the subjective world within us and the objective world outside of us. Ms. Hanaway and her colleagues are excited to bring a fun, gypsy-like spirit to Fitchburg this summer and invite all to enjoy the exhibition, which will run from June 3 through August 1 at Gallery Sitka, 454 Main Street in Fitchburg. The public is welcome to attend the opening reception on Saturday, June 3, 4 – 6 p.m.