Coffin shines from the mound again in league action
BY JOSH GALVIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Kenny Coffin continued his brutal assault on offenses in the Woodbat League game of the week in Tom Nevers last Thursday. Coffin earned his third win of the season with a complete game, shutout performance, lifting Toscana Corporation (4-1) above the Barber Furniture Blacksheep (1-4), 2-0. Coffin also provided the offense for Toscana with an RBI double and run scored to go along with his seven innings of three hit ball with three strikeouts.

MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent Toscana's Jason Perkins slides into third while Blacksheep Christian Cuello applies tag.

After the game Coffin was all praise for the defense behind him. "I got plenty of help from the guys behind me," he said. "I only had three strikeouts, so the ball was in play but the defense didn't make any errors. Tom [Paterson] had a couple big catches on fly balls to left and Jason [Perkins] and Jon [Arist] were solid up the middle. They got the lead runner on fielder's choices a couple times and kept runners close at second."

Like any good pitcher, Coffin made sure to thank his batterymate, catcher Griffin LaFleur. "Griff is a great catcher. He blocks balls in the dirt, calls a good game and doesn't get run on a lot. Today he threw someone out at second to help kill a rally. It makes my life a lot easier."

The Blacksheep got a tremendous pitching effort themselves from starter Dickson Acosta who pitched six innings in the losing effort, striking out eight while scattering six hits. Acosta only had problems in the fourth when both runs scored, but only one was earned. "I felt strong out there," he said after the loss. "My fastball had pop and I didn't feel like I was tired in the late innings."

Acosta cruised through the first three innings before Toscana got to him with one out in the bottom half of the fourth. Third baseman Tris Gauvin reached on a throwing error to get things started. Known for being aggressive on the base paths, Gauvin quickly stole second, putting himself in scoring position for Coffin. Coffin, helping his own cause, then slapped a ball to left center field that scored Gauvin easily and Coffin found himself on second base. After stealing third, Coffin crossed home on a dropped third strike when Blacksheep catcher Nate Barber threw to first to record the second out of the inning.

The Blacksheep tried to muster a two out rally in the fifth inning, but LaFleur put a stop to things by gunning out pinchrunner Celine Ovelo at second with Blacksheep second baseman Matt Reinemo at third. Ovelo was elected to run for starting first baseman Mike McInerny who singled off Coffin moving Reinemo from first to third. "After that fifth inning it was like the wind was out of our sails," said spokesman Beau Barber, who got one of the Blacksheep's three hits on the day. "We went down in order in the sixth and seventh, we just couldn't get to Coffin all day. He's been like that all year, though.

He's in some zone." I