HOLYOKE – The return of Blue Sox third baseman Kollin Ritchie to Valley on Saturday for his first game of the season was a significant moment for the team and its fans.
Ritchie led the way for Valley with a two-run, 418-foot home run and an RBI double en route to an 11-2 victory against the Sanford Mainers.
Valley hitters walked thrice in the first two innings but couldn’t come around and score. Sanford walked twice in the first two and also failed to score. The first hit came in the third inning on a Caleb Shpur single.
In the third, Logan Hugo led off with a walk and scored on a Jay Bant single to make it 1-0 Valley.
The game took a dramatic turn when Valley opened the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth. The first five batters of the inning all reached base and scored, with newcomer Connor Misch hitting a two-RBI single. Valley further solidified its lead with three runs in the sixth, highlighted by Ritchie’s two-run home run.
Jared Davis hit a home run to left field and made it 10-2. But that’s all Sanford could muster up. Valley scored one more in the bottom of the eight to make it 11-2.
Second baseman Mike O’Conor continues to see the ball well as he extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
Blue Sox starter Gregory Shaw won after five innings of one-hit ball. He walked five and struck out just one. Conversely, the starter Colton Trisch of the Mainers went three-plus innings and gave up one run on two hits. The southpaw also walked five hitters but recorded zero strikeouts.
Valley returns to MacKenzie Stadium on Sunday afternoon to face the North Adams Steeplecats. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
