Despite their best offensive performance of the season to date, the North Adams SteepleCats dropped their Saturday matchup with the North Shore Navigators by a final score of 13-4.

The ‘Cats were able to keep it competitive through the early innings, but a couple of big numbers from the Navigators offense in the middle frames put the game out of reach. Even so, there were some bright spots for North Adams on both sides of the ball, including the first SteepleCats home run of the season. The bullpen also looked fantastic in the late stages, with multiple relievers putting up zeroes against a North Shore offense that had already proved just how dangerous they were.

North Shore opened the scoring in the top of the 1st, plating two in the opening frame on an RBI double from Grant Hunter (Binghamton). They would add another in the top of the 3rd as Jay Slater (Northwestern) hit a solo home run, extending the lead to 3-0. However, the North Adams offense would come roaring back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two on a clutch two-out RBI double from Tony Woodie (SUNY Cobleskill).

North Shore would almost immediately extend their lead again, as three Navigator runs would score in the top half of the fourth inning. Jack Rickheim (Harvard) walked and came across to score on a Daniel Leikus (Rhode Island) double, and two batters later, Leikus would manage to steal home on an errant throw down to second base. The scoring would conclude for the inning when Tyler Shulman (Harvard) scored on a wild pitch, putting the Navigators up 6-2 after three and a half innings.

The biggest inning of the night would go to North Shore, as they would push five runs across in the top of the 5th while sending 11 batters to the plate. The big hit of the inning would be from Leikus, who doubled with the bases loaded to score three big runs. The Navigators would tack on two more in the 6th, but North Adams would respond in the bottom half of the inning. Sean Stephenson (Iona), pinch hitting for Colsen Loughren (Mass. Maritime), blasted a home run to right field, marking the first long ball hit by the SteepleCats this season.

North Adams would add one more run in the 7th inning, with Bobby Stang scoring on a double hit by Chris Diaz (Marist), but the result would not go their way. The final score would be 13-4, marking a defeat for the ‘Cats.

Despite the loss, the ‘Cats still had many positives that they could build on heading into the rest of the season. The bullpen looked downright dominant at times, and signs are beginning to show that the offense is starting to get comfortable against some high-caliber arms. All in all, a loss may have occurred, but good signs are certainly starting to show.

The SteepleCats travel for a doubleheader against Sanford on Sunday, with game times set for 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., before an off day on Monday.