Westminster, Vt.
Hartford’s Jordy Allard obviously paid attention to his coach.
On Thursday, Allard threw 95 pitches, 69 for strikes, and tossed a one-hitter as the Hurricanes defeated Bellows Falls, 6-1, at Hadley Field. Allard, who struck out 13 Terriers, walked no one and had only two three-ball counts.
“He managed the game well,” said Hartford coach Jarrod Grassi, who was grateful that his right-hander was able to go the full seven innings in the Canes’ season opener. “We have another game (today).”
While Allard was zipping through the BF lineup, Terrier starter Brady Illingworth walked five in the first two innings, three in the second inning, when the Hurricanes scored three times without the benefit of a hit.
“If he throws strikes, we’re in the game,” BF coach Bob Lockerby said. “Nobody was really hitting the ball today. ”
Or as Grassi said: “It was a typical April game.”
Even though Hartford had a 3-0 lead through four innings, neither team had a hit. Hartford put three hits together in the fifth inning for a run and finished the game with four.
Bellows Falls had only four hits in an 8-0 opening-game loss to Brattleboro and Colonels ace Leif Bigelow earlier this week.
“Just our luck to face those two guys in our first two games,” Lockerby said of the two Division I hurlers. “Still, facing pitching like this will make us better the rest of the season. I’m not worried. I know we’ll start hitting. We’re not going to see a lot of pitching like we did in these first two games.”
Allard, who threw some breaking balls early, mostly went to the fastball as the game moved along. Seven Terriers took a third strike looking.
The only inning in which Allard had a little trouble was the fifth, when he gave up his only hit of the day, a double to Liam Hackett to start the inning. Brian Green followed with an infield bouncer that Allard fielded, but he made a late throw to get Hackett at third. Allard got a strikeout for the first out, but Bellows Falls was able to get a run in on an infield bouncer.
The three-run third for Hartford was really a gift from the Terriers. There were three walks in the inning and two BF errors, including a dropped fly ball in the outfield that brought in two runs.
“That was just a routine fly,” Lockerby said.
Bellows Falls used three pitchers after Illingworth, with Spencer Clark throwing three strong innings. Jacob Metcalf and Clayton Groenewald — who played on Hartford High’s boys hockey team this winter along with many of Thursday’s opponents — also hurled for Bellows Falls.
Hartford tacked on one run in the fifth as Austin Gaudette singled in Cody Thayer, who was running for Allard, who had started the inning with a base hit and was sacrificed to second by Dylan Spencer. Two more Hartford runs came home in the seventh on two walks, two wild pitches and the fourth BF error.
Hartford visits Mill River today.