In the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s West Division, a .500 record is good enough for first place.
That’s where the Bristol Blues (13-13-1) find themselves after a 6-2 win over the division foe Danbury Westerners (11-16) on Sunday at Muzzy Field. Former St. Paul star Ryan Daniels put himself on center stage with a big day at the plate. Daniels finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBIs and raised his batting average to .270. The left-handed hitter doubled his season RBI total and now has eight.
In his first at bat, Daniels battled to a 3-2 count, fouled off two straight pitches, then launched the eighth offering of the at bat over the fence for a two-run home run and a 2-0 Bristol lead. In the seventh inning, Daniels extended the Blues’ lead to 4-1 with a two-run double.
Daniels’ strong effort at the plate was matched by a strong effort from former Bristol Eastern standout Jagger Duquette on the mound. Duquette went seven innings and gave up a run on six hits and struck out five. The right-hander threw 58 of his 79 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 1.31.
Bristol is tied with the Valley Blue Sox (14-14) for first place in the West Division. After a road game Monday at North Shore against the Navigators, the Blues return to Muzzy for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday home games against Danbury, the North Adams SteepleCats and Valley.
Photo credits: Bristol Blues
