White River Junction
North Adams’ Michael Gulino, Wirchansky’s teammate at Pace University, sent a screamer into deep center field on a no-count fastball that, Wirchansky admitted, was a pitch he let hang over the plate too long.
Wirchansky was otherwise solid, tossing 103 pitches and facing 29 batters with five strikeouts, two walks and the one hit allowed in 8⅓ innings.
“I missed my spot,” said Wirchansky, who has emerged as an ace in Upper Valley’s pitching staff. “If it was anyone who was going to break it up, I’d want it to be him. … He kind of knew what I had. I left a fastball right over the plate. As soon as I released it, I knew it was going to be hit.
“I knew in the back of my mind, just sitting there in the dugout, not talking that much, that, ‘Yeah, I’ve got a no-hitter going,’ ” he added. “But on the mound, it’s just an ordinary game. Throw strikes, get outs.”
Sean Frontzak (Saint Louis) entered the game in relief in the ninth inning and stuck out two to get his second save of the summer.
“Three pitches for strikes all night long,” said Upper Valley head coach Jason Szafarsk of Wirchansky. “Being able to throw that changeup, curveball, slider and fastball counts, that’s what he’s been doing all year.”
Szafarski said he wanted to limit Wirchansky to 115 pitches if a no-hitter was still intact.
“That’s not an ideal situation, a kid running out there, throwing that many pitches,” Szafarski said. “To take the ball out of his hands in that moment … you’ve got to let him try for it.”
The Pace hurler’s stint also saved the Nighthawks’ bullpen during a stretch of 11 games in the next 10 days. That now includes a doubleheader scheduled for Sunday against the Valley Blue Sox in Holyoke, Mass.
Upper Valley’s offense scattered three runs on nine hits in front of an announced home crowd of 391, doing just enough to get Wirchansky his fourth win of the season.
Cade Sorrells (Lipscomb) broke the scoreless tie with two outs in the second inning with an RBI single into center field that drove in Luke Reynolds (Southern Mississippi) from second base. Reynolds drove in Frankie Gregoire (Marist) in the third inning, and Matt Sanders (Troy) drove in his 10th run of the season in the seventh to build a 3-0 lead. Sorrells, Gregoire and Reynolds all finished the game with two hits.
North Adams scored its lone run in the ninth inning on Frontzak’s first pitch, a one-out double by Dillon Paulson (Southern California).
“It’s the little things,” Szafarski said. “Guys with an unselfish approach, more of a team approach, which is awesome to see in summer ball. Like I always say, If you’re trying to win, you’re getting better.”
The Nighthawks (19-8) will hit the road against the Keene Swamp Bats (12-14) tonight at Alumni Field at 6:30 p.m. Cincinnati’s Cam Alldred (2-2) is scheduled to start on the mound for Upper Valley.
Josh Weinreb csan be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.