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PETERS & SPERNER STAR IN WINS AT BEDFORD
FIVE-HIT EFFORTS FROM NASSAU CO. BATSMEN LIFT TEAM TO CONSECUTIVE AWAY VICTORIES

LONG ISLAND (July 1 & 2, 1869) – Nassau County BBC beat Bedford in consecutive games at the Long Island Cricket Club on Thursday & Friday, and in both contests one N.C. player stood above the rest as the man to thank for the positive result.

Thursday’s game was mostly a close contest before a three-run rally in the ninth saw Nassau County win 9-4. It was the bottom of the lineup that carried Nassau County’s offense, with each of the last four batsmen in the order, including pitcher Alistair Alanson, collecting multiple base hits. The key player was newcomer Clarence Peters:

• T2: Single to RF off M. Politti (R)
• T4: 1-run Single past 2B off M. Politti (R)
• T6: Leadoff Single past 2B off M. Politti (R)
• T7: 1-run Single past SS off M. Politti
• T9: 1-run Double to RCF off J. Willis (R)
• TOTAL: 5/5, 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI, 6 TB, 89 GMSC

This was easily the best game so far in Peters’ debut season, as the second baseman had struggled mightily before the contest. Going into Thursday, Peters was batting .245 with a .583 OPS and WAR at -1.0. He had been struggling to adjust to organized base ball both at bat and in the field, but at least on this day he put in an outstanding effort.

The next day, Nassau County held off a massive Bedford rally – eleven runs over the final three innings – to win 13-12 and go back over the .500 mark. This time it was the top of the lineup’s turn to carry the load, and the first four men in the order combined for thirteen hits. The star of Thursday’s game was OF Riso Sperner:

• T1: 1-run Single past 2B off M. Stillwell (R)
• T2: 1-run Single to RCF off M. Stillwell (R)
• T3: Double to CF off M. Stillwell
• T5: Ground Out to 2B
• T7: 2-run Single to CF off V. Wilkes (R)
• T9: Single past 3B off V. Wilkes (R)
• TOTAL: 5/6, 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI, 6 TB, 92 GMSC

Sperner’s run in the top of the ninth ended up being the final margin of victory for Nassau County, and the performance pushed Sperner’s average up to .328, which would be a career high for his four seasons in the NBBO if it holds. He appears comfortable batting #2 in the Nassau County lineup, and the result so far has been Sperner’s best season.

Nassau County is 22-21, which has them three games back of the Brooklyn leaders – Atlantic & Kings County – and tied for fifth place with Continental.