East Hampton Coasts After 12-Run First Inning

Three. It’s a small number with vast meaning.

It is the first odd prime number. Earth is the third planet in our solar system. In the Periodic Table of the Elements. three is the atomic number of lithium. There also is the Three Wise Men, the saying “The third time is the charm,” let's not forget the Three Stooges, and if you want your child to do something now, you might count to three (good luck with that). In sports, there is the three pointer, a triple play, three goals in hockey is a hat trick ... the list goes on.

So what does any of this have to do with the East Hampton baseball game on Thursday?

The Bellringers defeated Hyde 18-8 at home for their third win of the season, equaling their total victories for 2010. The question isn’t whether East Hampton is better this year, it is how much better, and the way to measure that is through benchmarks. Thursday’s victory allowed them to check off a big one. Three might be a small number, but here, too, it has meaning.

Granted, Hyde has its own issues this season, but East Hampton wasted no time in taking care of business. The Bellringers did it in a big way, too, with a 12-run first inning. By the time starting pitcher Ben Fortin turned the game over to his relievers after the fourth inning, the score was 18-1.

“I was happy with our approach at the plate early in the game,” East Hampton coach Scott Wosleger said. “Our guys stayed inside the ball nicely and went the other way several times. They did not try to do too much. This was a focal point of our hitting sequence in practice the last couple of days because we knew we might face pitching that challenged us to be patient.”

And patient they were. East Hampton sent 16 batters to the plate, using four walks and a hit batter to its advantage. All scored. The inning also featured six hits, including RBI doubles by Marvin Gorgas and Brian Roberson (2-for-3, two doubles, two walks).

That was more than enough for Fortin, who had a strong answer to his loss at Cromwell last week.

“Ben did a nice job of getting ahead of hitters early,” Wosleger said. “He was economical with his pitches and challenged hitters. Ben's game is location. When he is hitting spots and mixing his pitches, he is effective. He is mentally very solid and it takes a lot to get him rattled. It's always nice to see him have success because he is as good a person as he is a player.”

Fortin breezed through his four innings of work, striking out five in a row at one point. The one hit he allowed led to an unearned run in the fourth.

Wosleger went to his bench early in this game and that eventually included removing Fortin to start the fifth. Roberson, who had not pitched this season, took over and struggled, leading to a seven-run inning for Hyde. Austin Shumbo came in to close the door on the Howling Wolves.

The victory earned the Bellringers a day off Friday, but despite the strong start, there is still work to be done, including eliminating mental lapses in the field.

“We will be off [Friday] and then go back at it in practice on the weekend,” Wosleger said. “We have to continue to pay attention to detail and not be satisfied. So far, though, we feel like we are making some progress.”

Next up for East Hampton (3-1) are the Portland Highlanders (0-3) on Monday at home.