Woodstock
Then again, maybe not.
Richardson’s Yellowjackets (5-6) are 3-1 in their last four games, including a come-from-behind 8-6 victory against Vermont Division II foe Fair Haven on Monday in which Windsor scored six runs in the final inning. After starting the season 2-5 with four losses to D-I opponents, Richardson’s squad has flipped a switch in late May, outscoring opponents 43-20 over its last four games.
“It depends on how we are mentally,” Richardson said. “Physically, we’re great. We have two freshmen and two sophomores in the starting lineup, and sometimes the mental things come into play. Even some of the seniors make some mistakes. We had a slow start against Fair Haven, a slow start against Bellows Falls (a 9-4 loss on Tuesday) and we ended up coming back in one and not the other. It was nice to get up early.”
The Yellowjackets showcased their new-found confidence against the young, inexperienced Wasps, who dropped to 1-10. For Woodstock head coach Jason Tarleton, eyes are already on next year’s group to take the program a step forward.
“We look like a decent team,” said Tarleton, whose team has nine freshmen and sophomores.
“We have a good plan in the box, kids are doing the right stuff. … We’re really young, but you can only hang your hat on that for so long. At some point, you have to step up.”
Windsor senior pitcher Jake Meagher, in an attempt by Richardson to keep all his pitchers fresh for its late-season push, started against the Wasps on Thursday and allowed no hits or runs in 4 innings of work. Meagher, who is normally Windsor’s closer, recorded four strikeouts and allowed only one walk.
Robert Slocum entered the game in relief for Windsor, allowing three hits, one walk and one earned run in 2 innings.
“We needed a game like this,” Richardson said. “You know, you have to be real careful with your pitching. We have five more games in a little bit over a week. Meagher had a no-hitter going there, he was at 46 or 47 pitches. Anything over 50, I have to keep him out because you need two days rest. We have a game on Saturday.
“I hate to do it to a kid that’s pitching that well, but it is what it is. You’ve got to worry about the next day.”
The Yellowjackets chipped away with one- and two-run innings all afternoon, in a game that took nearly 4½ hours to complete from its scheduled 4:30 p.m. start with a 20-minute delay for late umpires and another 30-minute delay for a sign of lightning. Windsor jumped on Woodstock starter Cody Chase early with a run scored by Seth Balch to break the ice in the first inning, and added two more in the second and one in the third to build a comfortable lead.
Balch scored again in the third inning on a sacrifice fly from Conner Gould. Balch finished with two hits, one double, two runs scored and a walk, Nick Kapuscinski had a triple and Casey Husband hit an RBI single to send Chase from the mound.
“We generally put the ball in play real well,” Tarleton said. “That just didn’t happen.”
Woodstock got one back in the seventh on an RBI double from junior Devon Mumford to score Luc Issa from second base.
But the Wasps’ Achilles heel this season has been its errors in the field, according to Tarleton. Woodstock committed eight on Thursday.
“It’s hard to compete when you do that to yourself,” Tarleton said.
Woodstock will host Poultney (6-3 in D-III) on Saturday. Windsor will try to keep the streak alive on Saturday in a rematch at home against Fair Haven.
“We saw some really good pitching early,” Richardson said. “If you look at our scores, our record is a little bit deceiving. Hopefully, we can keep swinging the bats well in the next five games and see how we fair out in the playoffs.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or at 603-727-3306.